Israel has signed secret agreements with 39 countries in an attempt to prevent information leaks from joint security projects, Israeli security and diplomatic sources told Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday.
But plans for a pact with Belgium have been put on hold at the request of the Belgians, one source told the paper.
Belgium cited the current turbulent situation in the Middle East as the reason for halting efforts to sign an agreement, he said.
They said that the agreements were drawn up Israel by a security department within the ministry of defense (known by its Hebrew acronym MALMAB) whenever Israel handed over technological information, sold security equipment or participated in a joint-production project with another country.
“Israel currently has secret cooperative agreements with India, China, Turkey and Singapore - its largest purchasers of weapons - as well as with countries in east and west Europe, Australia, the US and Central and South America.”
Under the agreement, in the event of an information leak or the transfer of sensitive information to a third party by a spy, both countries must work together to investigate the matter.
The country in which the leak occurred must compile a report containing explanations and the findings of the investigation and present it to the second country, said the report.
The country in which the leak occurred must also allow officials from the second country to investigate, the sources said.
According to the paper, Israel has only exercised this right once, in 1983, when South Africa arrested a top naval officer, Dieter Gerhardt, and his wife on suspicion of spying for the Soviet Union.
During questioning, Gerhardt admitted that he had passed on information about nuclear cooperation between Israel and South Africa and details of other joint weapons projects.
In line with the agreement, Gerhardt was also questioned by MALMAB officers to determine what "Israeli information" or details on Israel he passed to the Soviets, the paper added.
Israel and Belgium originally signed such an agreement in the 1980s, but Israel canceled it after a case of espionage was discovered in Belgium.
Talks aimed at renewing the pact with Belgium were held with the prospect of a multi-million dollar defense equipment deal between the two countries, according to the paper - Albawaba.com
