Israeli Methods of Cyber Espionage Against Civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory under International Law رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

This thesis studies the legality of Israeli cyber espionage methods that are used against civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) under international law. Israel, which is a global leader in cyber technologies and an occupying state, has been using very modern technology to practice cyber espionage against a civilian population that is currently living under a prolonged military occupation. Israel’s cyber espionage tools such as Pegasus Spyware, facial recognition technologies like Blue Wolf and Red Wolf, mass social media monitoring through profiling, surveillance UAVs, and AI tools like “Lavender”, “The Gospel” and “Where’s Daddy?” present serious legal concerns, especially as they have been intensifying after October 7, 2023. The thesis assesses the legality of these practices using a descriptive analytical framework that incorporates both International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL). The thesis concludes that Israel’s cyber espionage practices in the West Bank violate key IHRL protections, including the rights to privacy, data protection, equality, dignity, and life, and amount to collective punishment under IHL. In Gaza, the use of AI-powered systems for targeted killings breaches core IHL principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, and further violates IHRL’s protection of the right to life. Therefore, this thesis adds onto the increasing legal study that is focusing on the new technologies being gradually used in different forms of armed conflicts, as it depicts these cyber espionage methods used by Israel as a kind of digital repression and unlawful targeting within an occupied setting