Israel Refuses To Sell Pegasus Spyware To Ukraine And Estonia

Israel has refused to licence and sell spyware tool Pegasus to Ukraine and Estonia over its relationship with Russia. 

iexclusivenews reports that according to the New York Times, Israel’s refusal to issue licenses to NSO Group.

The maker of Pegasus, is contingent on whether the countries want to deploy the weapon against Russia.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Israel’s relationship with Russia has been scrutinized.

The Ukrainian administration had also approached Israel for assistance.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted Israel’s parliament on Sunday for failing to provide his country with the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

And other defensive weapons, as well as for refusing to impose tough economic penalties on Russia like other Western countries.

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What You Need To Know

This online news outlet gathered that New York Times reported in February that Israeli officials had turned down a request by a Ukrainian delegation to purchase the malware ahead of Russia’s military buildup on the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine and Estonia have been denied access to the spyware for numerous years.

Ukraine has considered itself a direct target of Russian assassination and intelligence since 2014. Israel.

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On the other hand, has put a near-total embargo on selling weapons to Ukraine, including Pegasus.

Negotiations to purchase Pegasus began in 2018 for Estonia, and Israel initially consented to the sale.

Estonia then paid a $30 million deposit for the spyware system.

Ukrainian officials sought again in 2019 to persuade Israel to license the spyware program for use in Ukraine.

But the Israeli Ministry of Defense refused to provide NSO Group licenses to sell it.

Pegasus may be used to break into any mobile phone and listen in on calls, read text messages, and look at a user’s photos.

It can also be used to turn a mobile phone recorder on and off remotely, making it a remote listening device.

The NSO was placed on a “blacklist” of companies barred from doing business with American enterprises by US President Joe Biden in November.