A dual U.S.-Israeli citizen working as an FBI translator was sentenced to 20 months in prison after he was caught passing on recorded conversations from FBI wiretaps of the Israeli embassy inWashington. The report in the New York Times reveals America's efforts to spy on its allies. The documents that were leaked included conversations with "U.S.supporters of Israel and at least one member of Congress," the report said. Shamai K. Liebowitz, a lawyer who was working as a Hebrew language translator for the FBI, passed on the sensitive information out of fears that Israel may have been planning an attack on Iran, and was aggressive in its influence of the U.S. Congress and public opinion. Liebowitz allegedly felt that an Israeli attack on Iran would be detrimental both to the U.S. and Israel. The report says the United States regularly listens in on embassies in the U.S., but spying on an ally as close as Israel is considered more sensitive. Richard Silverstein, a blogger told the newspaper he decided to go public about the case because he wished to defend Liebowitz motives. Silverstein said he was quiet about the case for the last two years since Liebowitz was charged in the U.S. under the Espionage Act. Silverstein deleted the posts from his blog Tikkun Olam which is dedicated to U.S.-Israel ties.
