American report: Hamas attack used to extend controversial laws Policy

The American website The Intercept reported, in a report, that the director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the United States used the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance led by the Hamas movement –Al-Aqsa flood– On the Israeli occupation to justify the renewal of a program of mass surveillance of American citizens.

The report, written by Daniel Boguslaw, a correspondent based in Washington, DC, explained that the US intelligence community is facing calls to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which enables the US government to collect vast amounts of intelligence information, including about US citizens, under the category extensive foreign intelligence information, without first seeking a judicial order.

He pointed out that during a US Senate press conference last week, a federal counter-terrorism official cited the Hamas attack on October 7 and urged Congress to reauthorize the sprawling and controversial surveillance program.

Ensure constant vigilance

Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Christine Abizaid, said before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, after repeatedly referring to the Hamas attack, that the “terrorist” threat landscape is very dynamic and America must maintain the basics of “counterterrorism” to ensure constant vigilance.

It is noteworthy that this program, which is scheduled to end at the end of this year, was approved in 1978, and was greatly expanded in the wake of the September 11 attacks, and while it was originally described as a means of collecting information about foreign entities, it allows the targeting of American citizens who are Contact with foreign nationals.

This loophole, the writer says, makes it easy for federal agencies to target large segments of the US population, especially Muslims, Arabs, and supporters of the Palestinian cause, and has been criticized for years by civil liberties advocates who view it as a clear example of violations committed by the government.

The authority of 702 has been abused to such an extent that the President’s Intelligence Advisory Council joe biden Recommended capacity reduction FBI To manipulate power to investigate and prosecute Americans.