The US Senate is considering a measure that would force the president to expand intelligence sharing with Israel and make it harder for any administration to restrict Israeli access to American secrets, even amid growing concern in Washington over Israeli espionage against US officials.
Section 622 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, titled “United States-Israel Intelligence Sharing Enhancement”, would require the president, through the director of national intelligence and, when necessary, the secretary of defence, to “expand and enhance intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel”.
The bill was introduced by Israeli loyalist Senator Tom Cotton, the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and one of Israel’s most hardline supporters in Congress.
The provision would cover a wide range of intelligence across the Middle East, including cyber threats, terrorism, sanctions evasion, missile threats, drones, air defence and the plans of governments and armed groups. In practice, critics say, it would give Israel broader access to sensitive US assessments on many of the region’s most important security issues.
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The measure would also make it difficult for a president to suspend, reduce or restrict intelligence sharing with Israel. According to the bill, any reduction would need to be based on a “specific and identifiable national security concern”. The White House would then have 15 days to notify Congress and explain what information was being withheld, why it was being restricted and how the decision could affect Israel, US forces and regional security.
Former CIA officer Paul R Pillar, writing in Responsible Statecraft, warned that the proposal would move US support for Israel deeper into the less visible world of intelligence cooperation. Unlike military aid, intelligence sharing does not come with a public price tag and is far harder for the public to scrutinise.
Pillar argued that Congress does not normally legislate such relationships because intelligence agencies need flexibility to decide what to share, what to withhold and how to protect sources.
The proposal comes shortly after reports that the Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to “critical”, the highest level.
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Israel has a long record of spying on the United States. The most notorious case involved Jonathan Pollard, a US naval intelligence analyst who stole large volumes of classified material for Israel. Israel treated Pollard as a hero after his release, despite US officials describing the damage he caused as severe.
Critics say Section 622 would risk giving Israel intelligence that could be used in military operations opposed by Washington or in breach of international law. Israel has repeatedly carried out attacks across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran, while the US has faced mounting accusations of enabling Israeli escalation through military, diplomatic and intelligence support.
The measure is seen as a wider shift in Washington’s support for Israel. As unconditional military aid becomes increasingly unpopular, Israel’s supporters in Congress are pushing less visible forms of cooperation, including military integration, shared air defence systems and intelligence sharing.
If passed, critics warn that Section 622 would embed expanded intelligence sharing with Israel into US law, even as US defence agencies warn that Israeli espionage poses a serious threat to American officials and secrets.
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