ISRAELI embassy staff have been accused of spying on students supporting Palestinian rights and smearing activists by claiming they carried out an anti-semitic attack at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).

It is alleged that Julia Reifkind, who was president of the student group Aggies for Israel, wrote reports on divestment and sanctions (BDS) activists, which she sent to intelligence agencies in Israel.

Footage on the Electronic Intifada website showed Ms Reifkind speaking to an undercover al-Jazeera journalist when she said: “It’s mainly intel, reporting back to Israel. That’s a lot of what I do. To report back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.”

In the video Ms Reifkind admitted to holding a number of “fake” Facebook accounts, which follow Palestinian activists and pro-Palestine groups from which she “writes a report and give it to my boss who translates it.”

She said she doesn’t speak to embassy staff but sends the information via a “special server” called “Cables” which she doesn’t have access to as she doesn’t have clearance due to her status as a US citizen.

Following the Israeli intelligence review of the report Ms Reifkind suggested that they send her instructions.

“I can’t say anything negative about Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] or the government because I definitely work for them. Not directly. I’m just a normal American,” she said.

The footage also suggests that Ms Reifkind engaged in an attempt to smear BDS activists by claiming they were responsible for a 2015 anti-semitic attack at the UC Davis campus.

Swastikas were daubed on the door of a Jewish frat house, which Ms Reifkind said at the time was the actions of pro-Palestine supporters. However in the undercover footage she admits that she didn’t know who carried out the attack and said it was likely a “random white supremacist.” 

Ms Reifkind graduated in 2016 and was offered a job at the Israeli embassy in Washington, shortly before she was filmed in the al-Jazeera investigation.

The Electronic Intifada suggested that the film raises questions over the nature of Israel’s work in using front organisations and whether they are breaking the law in acting as “undeclared agents for a foreign state.”

Al-Jazeera’s investigative report has yet to be released in full, with the Electronic Intifada suggesting it was withheld after Israel pressured the Qatar-funded media organisation.

A similar film last year revealed an Israeli agent plotting with Labour MP Joan Ryan to “take down” pro-Palestinian politicians.