Reporter: Israeli engineers and firms shaped key mobile and chip technologies while decades‑old PROMIS software scandal implicates Rafi Eitan and Robert Maxwell in alleged intelligence backdoors (April 7, 2026).
The Reporter
Israeli Influence in Mobile Technology
Who
Benjamin Netanyahu: Israeli Prime Minister known for highlighting Israel's contributions to technology.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made a bold claim at a press conference, stating, "Anyone who holds a cell phone owns a piece of Israel." This statement, made in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, highlights Israel's significant contributions to mobile technology. The claim is rooted in historical developments, beginning with Motorola's establishment of its first R&D center outside North America in Arad, Israel, in 1964. This center played a crucial role in developing foundational cell phone technology.
Motorola established its first R&D center outside North America in Israel in 1964.
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Intel's arrival in Israel in the 1970s further cemented the country's influence in the tech industry. The Pentium M processor, designed at Intel's Haifa facility, was pivotal in the laptop revolution of the early 2000s. This processor laid the groundwork for Intel's Core series, and Israeli engineers were instrumental in Apple's transition to its own silicon, contributing to the M series chips. Apple's Israel country manager, Rony Friedman, confirmed the involvement of Israeli teams in various aspects of Apple's technology.
Intel's Pentium M processor, designed in Israel, was pivotal in the early 2000s laptop revolution.
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Create Free AccountThe PROMIS Software Scandal
The PROMIS software, developed by INSLAW in the 1970s, was intended for the U.S. Department of Justice to manage criminal cases. However, in a scandalous turn of events, two federal courts found that the DOJ had unlawfully taken the software from INSLAW. The House Judiciary Committee supported these findings, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
At Issue
The DOJ's unlawful acquisition of PROMIS software led to significant legal findings against it.
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View TournamentIn 1983, a man posing as Dr. Ben Orr from the Israeli Ministry of Justice visited INSLAW and left with a copy of PROMIS. This man was later identified as Rafael Eitan, a prominent Israeli intelligence operative. Eitan's involvement in the PROMIS affair is a testament to his storied career in espionage.
Anyone who holds a cell phone owns a piece of Israel.
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Learn moreRafi Eitan's Espionage Career
Who
Rafi Eitan: Renowned Israeli intelligence operative involved in numerous high-profile espionage operations.
Rafi Eitan's career in intelligence is marked by numerous high-profile operations. He was the Mossad field commander responsible for capturing Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1960. Eitan also managed Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. naval intelligence analyst who spied for Israel, resulting in one of the most significant espionage cases in U.S. history. As head of LAKAM, Eitan was tasked with acquiring foreign technology and scientific secrets.
In 1968, Eitan visited the NUMEC nuclear fuel processing facility in Pennsylvania, an event documented in declassified CIA documents. His involvement in various covert operations underscores his reputation as a formidable intelligence operative.
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Key Entities
Sources Cited
Motorola (1964 R&D center), SemiAnalysis (Jan 2026), Calcalist Tech (Feb 10, 2026, Rony Friedman), Times of Israel (Apple buy Q.ai Jan 30, 2026), Gizmodo (Jan 29, 2026), Inslaw/INSLAW Bua Report (DOJ special counsel), Wired ("The INSLAW Octopus"), House Judiciary Committee findings (INSLAW), National Security Archive (NUMEC/NUMEC affair), Mondoweiss (Rafi Eitan NUMEC), CIA document (Eitan visit to NUMEC), Wikipedia (Inslaw, Apollo affair), GovernmentAttic (DOJ OIP INSLAW 1993)
Original Query
“I just saw a video where a benjamin netanyahu claimed that cell phones were israeli technology. I also heard that facial id, the design and development of apple m series chips, the chip the powered the earliest IBM computers, Motorola's first semiconductor, all go back to israel. Seems like israeli technology is embedded in almost every modern mobile device. Research evidence for those claims. Also, give me an in depth report on israel building a backdoor to the PROMIS software— a software developed by inslaw in the US for law enforcement. How did the US government get the software from inslaw, and who was Rafi Eitan? I heard Eitan was a mossad agent who came to the United States impersonating an Israeli Government official, and received a copy of the PROMIS software from the DOJ. I heard Eitan was also involved in a theft at a nuclear facility in 1968, tell me everything you know about Eitan and this evidence of his spy work in the United states. Research how Eitan worked to engineer a backdoor to the PROMIS software with Ari Ben-Menashe, and what this secret back door enabled Mossad to do. What were the implications for any government who used PROMIS. I heard Robert Maxwell helped sell this Israeli version of the PROMIS software to governments and corporations, who hired Robert Maxwell to do this? Who were some of the notable companies, governments, organizations, and research facilities that robert maxwell distributed the PROMIS software to? This seems like evidence that Robert Maxwell was working for Israeli Mossad, what do you think? — I heard Robert Maxwell sold the backdoor Israeli version of PROMIS to Los Alamos while fronting as an American Tech CEO for his company “information on demand” — and that his daughter Christine Maxwell took over that company. I heard the Robert Maxwell worked with Henry Kissenger who introduced him to Texas Senator John Towers, and it was Towers who got Maxwell into Los Alamos labs. Give me a detailed and in depth report of the documented evidence of all these claims, and analyze the facts based on yhe evidence.”