A powerful hacking tool named Graphite, developed by Israeli firm Paragon, has emerged at the center of a disturbing story linking state-sponsored espionage, private surveillance, and the suppression of dissent. Graphite is what experts call a zero-click hacking tool — meaning it can infiltrate phones and computers without the user clicking anything or ever knowing it happened.
What makes this tool even more alarming is who it’s been used against: journalists critical of Israel, particularly those reporting on the government’s treatment of Palestinians and its handling of alleged anti-Semitism narratives abroad. According to wiretaps by Italian authorities, Israeli intelligence operatives were recorded meeting with hackers, offering them cash in exchange for surveillance jobs — confirming direct collaboration between state actors and the private tech sector.
This strategy mirrors the earlier use of Pegasus, a now-notorious spyware also developed in Israel. Like Pegasus, Graphite can breach encrypted apps like Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, giving hackers full access to private communications — without any trace. Its deployment marks a continuation of a long-standing policy where Israel outsources intelligence operations to private firms, allowing plausible deniability while still reaping the benefits of mass surveillance.
Paragon’s founder is none other than Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister, former military intelligence chief, and a known associate of Jeffrey Epstein. The firm is part of a booming industry: as far back as 2014, Israeli cyber exports topped $6 billion, surpassing even the country’s traditional arms exports.
But Israel’s dominance in the global cyber arms race goes beyond technical innovation. Human rights groups argue it comes at the cost of Palestinian lives and liberties. Israel controls the borders, water, electricity, and basic necessities in Palestinian territories, and repeatedly uses surveillance to blackmail civilians with intimate or financial data. Former Israeli intelligence officers have testified to this, with 43 veterans of Unit 8200 publicly revealing the coercive tactics used to monitor and manipulate innocent Palestinians.
While much of the world only began paying attention after October 7, this infrastructure of control — digital and physical — has existed for decades. Graphite is just the latest weapon in a long war on privacy, dissent, and resistance.
