Israel is spying on US data on settler violence to thwart sanctions: Report

Sources in Israeli intelligence speaking to +972 magazine and Local Call have said that Israel has been spying on US private communication with the Palestinian Authority in order to "understand what the US knows about settler violence".

This comes after the US and UK sanctioned four settlers this year following violent acts perpetrated by them in the occupied West Bank against Palestinians. 

The purpose for this spying, far from punishing settlers for their violence, is "to prevent the collected information from developing into sanctions", the report said. 

This would mean that despite what Israeli politicians might say about cracking down on violent settlers, the official policy behind closed doors seems to be to shield them from the rule of law.

US officials have received a great deal of information from PA officials on incidents of settler violence. 

"We want to know what the Americans know," one Israeli source told +972 and Local Call. "The goal is to know what is going to hit us when Fenzel comes and demands answers about these cases. It's not for going after the settlers and arresting them," the report said.