A massive package of Israeli sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear, including the NSO Group’s dreaded spyware Pegasus, worth around $2 billion (nearly Rs 12,880 crore) was the reason for the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then-Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Olga beach in July 2017.
The Modi government has denied purchasing the malicious software since it was first used to hack phones of journalists, lawyers and activists in October 2019. However, a January 28 New York Times (NYT) investigation has revealed that India purchased the spyware in 2017 itself as part of the package.
The NYT report, titled ‘The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon’, states that Pegasus and the missile system were “the centrepieces” of the deal. Bibi visited India later that year, and in June 2019—as if to return the favour to the Israeli leader—India voted in support of Israel at the UN’s Economic and Social Council to deny observer status to Palestinian human rights organisation Shahed.
Mentioning how Modi junked India’s decades-old policy of supporting the Palestinians to revive the frosty ties with Israel, the NYT reports: “In July 2017, Narendra Modi, who won
— source newsclick.in | 29 Jan 2022