The UK government is investing in spyware developed and tested on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, despite publicly criticizing Israeli actions there.

UK police forces have purchased software from Israeli-linked companies Cellebrite and BriefCam. Cellebrite, closely tied to the Israeli military, develops tools to bypass security on smartphones and computers, extensively used by Israeli forces against Palestinians, including for data extraction from detainees' phones.

Contracts with Cellebrite have been renewed by the City of London Police, Leicestershire Police, and other UK law enforcement agencies. BriefCam provides surveillance software to Cumbria Police and has been used in East Jerusalem.

Rights groups have raised concerns about Cellebrite's technology being exported to countries like Myanmar, Serbia, and Belarus. According to an Amnesty International report, such surveillance technology is instrumental in maintaining Israel's oppression of Palestinians.

Source: www.aljazeera.com