CIA Assessment Warns Israel Seeking to Entrench Defense and Intelligence Ties With United States

According to Capital & Empire, a confidential CIA assessment circulated internally in late July concluded that Israeli officials are pursuing a long-term strategy to embed Israel more deeply within US military, intelligence and defense industrial structures in ways future administrations would struggle to unwind 1. The assessment, described to Capital & Empire by unnamed US officials, said Israel is discussing expanded intelligence cooperation and a possible permanent US military base on Israeli soil, and has been cultivating American technology executives, none named in the document 1. The assessment links the strategy to eroding US public support, citing polling showing roughly 60 percent of American adults now view Israel unfavorably, up from 53 percent a year earlier, and Israeli officials' own view that the era of securing billions in annual military aid indefinitely is ending 1. Congress has advanced related measures: the House passed H.R. 8800 on July 22, whose Section 219 creates a Pentagon executive agent to promote Israeli technology integration into US weapons programs, while Senate bills S. 4784 and S. 4615 contain further defense and intelligence-sharing integration provisions 12. Military.com, which could not independently verify the assessment's contents, reported it has not been declassified or publicly released 2.