The US instructed its West Asian diplomats in 2008 to gather data on encrypted Israeli communications and build financial and biometric profiles of Palestinian leaders,a leaked embassy cable shows. The secret memorandum,signed by then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,published by Wikileaks,suggests the Bush administration fretted about lacking intelligence despite warm ties to Israel and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA). Citing the needs of US analysts,the October 31,2008 cable presented envoys in Tel Aviv,Jerusalem and several Arab states with an exhaustive and prioritised list of data regarding the Palestinian Issues being brokered by Washington. These included evidence of Israels intent with regard to settlements. Written two months before Israels surprise offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip,the cable sought details on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations underway or planned against Palestinian militants,including targeted assassinations and tactics/techniques used by ground and air units. The cable sought updates on movements and private contact details of Israeli civilian and military officials.
