Abbas' government sued over alleged CIA-backed wiretapping
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A former Palestinian intelligence chief and the head of the West Bank bar association are suing the Palestinian Authority after a purported whistleblower alleged they were targeted, along with other allies and rivals of President Mahmoud Abbas, in a large-scale CIA-backed wiretapping operation.
Allegations of continued intelligence-sharing with the United States could prove embarrassing for Abbas, at a time of growing political tensions with Washington.
A 37-page anonymous document, purportedly written by a disgruntled former member of the Palestinian electronic surveillance team, says his unit monitored the phones of thousands of Palestinians.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bar association chief Jawad Obeidat said Monday that transcripts of his phone conversations, as published in the document, are accurate.
A spokesman for the security services dismissed the widely shared document as "nonsense."
The CIA declined comment.