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Israeli Expresses Concern as U.S. Drops Satellite-Imaging Cap
(Reuters) Dan Williams - An Israeli official flagged a possible security risk on Monday following a U.S. move to allow American providers to sell clearer satellite images of Israel and the Palestinian territories. Under a 1997 U.S. regulation, satellite images of Israel used in services like Google Earth could show items no smaller than 2 meters (6.56 ft.) across. The curb, Israel had argued, would help prevent enemies using public-domain information to spy on its sensitive sites. The U.S. said on June 25 it would allow enhanced resolutions of 0.4 meters, telling Reuters, "a number of foreign sources" are already producing and disseminating sub-2 m. imagery of Israel." Amnon Harari, head of space programs at Israel's Defense Ministry, said, "We would always prefer to be photographed at the lowest resolution possible." Israel worries that Hizbulah and Hamas could use commercial satellite images to plan rocket strikes on key civilian and military infrastructure.