The Middle East and Israel

Real-time conversations from a remote site outside the White House were relayed directly to Israel for listening and recording. There was an argument made by Israelis to Clinton about the Lewinsky tapes which influenced the decision to approach the CIA director regarding the release of Jonathan Pollard. Despite Israeli and US alignment on certain issues in the Middle East, there are instances of antagonism between the two sides, such as disagreements over releasing Pollard and accusations of Israel planting surveillance devices around the White House in 2019.