A CIA document released by Web site Wikileaks on Wednesay expresses concern that the US had become an "exporter of terrorism," specifically mentioning American Jews in Israel.
The classified report, titled "What if Foreigners See the United States as an Exporter of Terrorism?" was produced in February 2010 by the CIA's Red Cell, a think tank set up in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks on New York's World Trade Center. It mentions incidents in which Americans joined terrorist groups such as the Taliban and the Irish Republican Army, and committed acts such as the 2008 Mumbai bombing.
RELATED:Opinion: Is the US training Israel's enemies?Swedish defend Wikileaks about-faceMy Word: Dirty open secretsOne of the four groups mentioned by the CIA is American Jews in Israel.
"Some American Jews have supported and even engaged in violent acts against perceived enemies of Israel," the leaked report reads. "In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an American Jewish doctor from New York, emigrated to Israel, joined the extremist group Kach, and killed 29 Palestinians during their prayers in the mosque at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron"
The CIA analysis explains that Goldstein's attack "helped to trigger a wave of bus bombings by HAMAS in early 1995."
The report considers international terrorist organizations targeting and recruiting Americans. It says:
"Less attention has been paid to homegrown terrorism, not exclusively Muslim terrorists, exported overseas to target non-US persons. This report examines the implications of what it would mean for the US to be seen increasingly as an incubator and 'exporter of terrorism.'"
The analysis posits that "American freedoms facilitate terrorist
recruitment and operations," and that "popular websites such as Youtube,
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and various blogs enable radical clerics and
terrorist recruiters to bypass America's physical borders and
influence US citizens."
The CIA also expresses concern that if the rest of the world were to
begin regarding the US as an "exporter of terrorism," diplomatic
relations could be severely damaged and willingness to cooperate with US
activities could be hindered.
According to The Washington Post, a CIA spokesperson played down the
report, saying that it was compiled simply to provoke thought and
present a range of views.
The online whistle-blower organization Wikileaks calls itself a
"multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect
whistle-blowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials
to communicate to the public."
Last month the group published 76,000 classified US military records
and field reports on the war in Afghanistan.
JPost.com Staff contributed to this report.