Israel announced Monday it was setting up a state inquiry to look into allegations of use of the homegrown Pegasus spyware by the country’s police against prominent Israelis, including the son of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

The launch of the investigation follows reports by local newspaper Calcalist, which alleged illicit use of the spyware developed by Israel’s NSO firm to hack phones of activists, politicians, and senior government officials.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement on Monday, “The reports about Pegasus, if they are true, are very serious. This tool (Pegasus) and similar tools, are important tools in the fight against terrorism and severe crime, but they were not intended to be used in phishing campaigns targeting the Israeli public or officials – which is why we need to understand exactly what happened.”

Also Read: Israeli Police used Pegasus spyware to hack phones of prominent citizens: Report

Pegasus is an advanced surveillance system created by Israel’s NSO Group, that can extract sound and video recordings, encrypted communications, photos, contacts, location data, and text messages from smartphones that have been remotely implanted.  

Allegations of its use against dissenters and opposition members have sprung up through investigations in various countries, including India, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, among others. 

Calcalist had earlier reported that police used Pegasus without court authorisation against Netanyahu’s political opponents.

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Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai has also joined those demanding an independent probe into the matter. He recommended the government form an external investigation committee headed by a judge to look into the matter. The inquiry, he said, should aim to “restore public trust in the Israel police on the one hand, and regulate the use of technology by the Israel police on the other”.

“We cannot lose our democracy. We cannot lose our police. And surely, we cannot lose the faith of our public in them. This requires an in-depth and thorough investigation,” said Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

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The spyware has also reportedly been used against key witnesses and close aides in Netanyahu’s corruption trial in order to get information before the investigation had even begun. The former PM is facing allegations over charges of fraud, accepting bribes, and breach of trust.

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Netanyahu’s defence lawyers asked for a postponement of the proceeding on Monday until more clarity over the alleged use of the spyware is attained. The Tuesday hearing has been suspended. Judges have demanded the prosecution to submit a response over the allegations for the court to decide if the hearings would resume on Wednesday, according to the report by Wall Street Journal. 

(With inputs from Associated Press)