In a new book, Boris Johnson reveals numerous details from his political career. An anecdote about Benjamin Netanyahu is actually a serious accusation.
It’s an open secret in international politics: Even among friends, sometimes people would like to know a little more – and sometimes they spy on each other. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was even said to have personally taken action: He is said to have bugged the toilet during a visit.
According to preliminary reports, Johnson claims this in his book “Unleashed”, which will be published next week. Netanyahu visited Johnson in his office in 2017 in his role as British Foreign Secretary. Netanyahu, whom Johnson calls by his nickname Bibi in the book, apologized for going to the toilet. “Bibi pottered around there for a while. It may or may not have been a coincidence, but afterward, during a routine investigation, a listening device was found in the Thunder Beam,” the book says.
Netanyahu as a spy?
The group of suspects is probably not particularly large: According to Johnson, it was not a publicly accessible bathroom, but a toilet “similar to those in upscale London clubs” and the room would have been housed in a “secret annex” to his office.
It is not known whether the Israeli government was confronted with the spying allegations. Johnson has no comment. Asked by the Telegraph for further details, he simply replied: “I think everything you need to know about the episode is in the book.”
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Not the only espionage accusation
The fact that Israel also spies on its allies is not a new accusation. During the same period, false cell phone transmission towers that can intercept cell phone calls and text messages were discovered in the area around the White House and other important locations in the US capital Washington DC. US intelligence agencies see Israel as the most likely mastermind, Politico reported in 2019. The aim was probably to wiretap the then US President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu rejected the allegations at the time. He has not yet commented on Johnson’s book.
Sources:The Telegraph, Politico, Axios
