U.S., Israel clash over spying claim

Now the United States and Israel are in a spying flap.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reports the Obama administration is claiming Israel spied on nuclear talks with Iran, and is using the information to try and kill the deal with Congress.

Israel denies it. CNN quoted an unidentified official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying that "these allegations are utterly false. The state of Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel's other allies."

Over the years, the United States and Israel have periodically accused each of spying on the other. And some U.S. allies, including Germany and Brazil, have protested American intelligence gathering on their governments.

The latest claims come as President Obama and Netanyahu have clashed publicly over the Iran talks, the creation of a Palestinian state, and Netanyahu's recent campaign comments about Arab voters.

Now, a spying claim.

"It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other," a senior U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal. "It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy."