Probe Into Police Phone Hacking Finds Nothing

An investigation commissioned by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett into allegations of illegal police phone hacking using Pegasus software has found no evidence of such wrongdoing.

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, whose office oversees Israeli law enforcement, called it “a resounding victory for Israel Police and those who wear the uniform.”

“There are many officials today who need to bow their heads and apologize to Israel’s policewomen and policemen and their families — 30,000 public servants whose names have been smeared in the mud in every forum in recent weeks,” Barlev said on Monday.

Deputy Attorney General Amit Marari led the probe, which was conducted with personnel from the Shin Bet and Mossad.

It looked into 26 names mentioned in a Calcalist report, who were allegedly targeted using NSO Group’s Pegasus program, that has precipitated a public uproar and at least three government investigations, none of which have yet found evidence to support the Calcalist report’s veracity.

“The investigative team with the assistance of technology experts from Israel’s security agencies, completed a thorough review of all the data pertaining to the police tapping of devices using the Pegasus software, since it was first put into operation by the force, including the data stored in the NSO servers,” the report stated.

The Likud party issued a statement in response on Monday, claiming the findings were unreliable and that the Justice Ministry and the police cannot be trusted to conduct a credible investigation of the matter because they themselves may be implicated, Ynet reported.

Earlier in the day, Calcalist reporter Tomer Ganon, who was responsible for publishing the allegations, wrote: “I have not risked my good name as a result of gullibility, but only because I checked the facts.”

Ganon has resisted calls for proof of his assertions, citing promises of confidentiality to his sources.

But the Calcalist said in response that it will have to review the reporting: “The findings necessitate a new investigation into the findings and claims we published.”