Israeli ministers urge US to end spying

Following revelation that the National Security Agency (NSA) has spied on Israel's top leaders, Israeli ministers Sunday demanded that the US end its snooping.

"Now the secret is out. The US is systematically spying on the defence and diplomatic leadership here in Israel. Is this how friends treat each other," Xinhua quoted Transportation Minister Israel Katz as saying.

Katz said he would urge the cabinet's Sunday meeting "to demand an American commitment to end the surveillance".

Yuval Steinitz, minister of international and strategic affairs, told Israel Radio that the eavesdropping is "illegitimate".

"Israel doesn't conduct surveillance on the US president, the White House or the secretary of defense," Steinitz said.

Documents leaked over the weekend by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed that the US intelligence agency cooperated with the British intelligence agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), to intercept emails and phone calls of Israeli leaders.