Would-be spies should approach Israeli consulates with caution

In June 2006, Elliot Doxer, an employee at an internet company in Boston, sent an email to a foreign consulate. “I am a Jewish American who lives in Boston,” he allegedly wrote. “I know you are always looking for information and I am offering the little I may have.” He also wrote that he wanted “to help our homeland and our war against our enemies.”

Let’s take a wild guess: he was referring to the Jewish homeland and communicating with the Israeli consulate. That’s the assumption made by the Jerusalem Post and just about everyone else — even though court documents only refer to “Country X.”

As the victim of an FBI sting operation, Doxer now faces the prospect of 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

But here’s the interesting bit. In response to Doxer’s approach, the consulate informed US law enforcement officials and then assisted the FBI with its investigation.

So what’s a would-be spy to do?

Don’t trust your local Israeli consulate?

Don’t ask for compensation?

Make sure you have extremely valuable intelligence?

Acquire Israeli citizenship before you do anything else?

The next Jonathan Pollard might now be reconsidering his options.

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One thought on “Would-be spies should approach Israeli consulates with caution

  1. Renfro

    This story itself isn’t as surprising/revealing to me as the fact that the story is
    ‘headlined’ by major new sources like Reuters and Haaretz as “U.S. Jew charged in wake of botched Israel spying attempt”

    I find it unusual that “US Jew” would lead in the headline instead of something like just ‘US Citizen’. I don’t know if this indicative of anything of not but I can’t imagine the very defensive pro Israel Jewish groups not wincing at this.

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