Cohen's training was long and exhausting. We may recall the Egyptian-Jewish spies from the Operation Susannah fiasco. [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. But the intelligence officers convinced him to go back one last time. He was a legend," I declare. He was interrogated and tortured. In order to capture the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli soldiers had to knock out a number of well-fortified Syrian outposts. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. On 18 May 1965, Eli cohen was woken by the jailer and fastened the noose, and hang up, the huge poster was fastened on his chest where his sentence was written in Arabic.Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. Monthir Maosily, a former bureau chief for Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, claimed in 2007 that Hafiz and Cohen were not as close as was made out and that stories of Cohen infiltrating the very top of Syrian politics "had been exaggerated to undermine Syria, as if he was a spy who had transmitted Syria's deepest secrets.". become close friends. Were they not interested? Fiyaz Mughal,Eli Cohens body must be returned to Israel, The JC, (Undated). [9], Syria refused to return Cohen's body to his family in Israel, and his wife Nadia sent a letter to Amin al-Hafiz in November 1965 asking his forgiveness for Cohen's actions and requesting his remains. "My darling Nadia, and my dear family,I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever.I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. Eli was, however, taken in by 'Mossad' when Director-General Meir Amit was in search of a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. In real life, the closeness between Hafiz and Cohen has been disputed by the former president of Syria, who claimed in a 2001 interview with Al Jazeera that they couldn't have met in Buenos Aires because Hafiz was in Moscow until 1962, by which time Cohen had gone undercover as Thaabet in Damascus. Already a member? He emigrated to Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency. He was driven to the airport, where his wife Nadia saw him off. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. In November 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. She smiles. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen) was the kind of guy to leave his wife spontaneous love letters throughout the house. His last wish was to see a rabbi. Hence, Nissim Andabo, the elderly chief rabbi of Syria accompanied him to Marjeh Square.. Israel could be the target of an aggressive attack by a larger, better Egyptian army that wanted to avenge its shameful defect in the Israel Independence War. He became far less careful in his transmissions to Israel, sometimes calling once or even twice a day and almost always at the same time, at 8:30 in the morning. Following Israel's independence in 1949, when Jewish families were leaving Egypt, Eli stayed back to finish his electronics degree. (Haim Zach/GPO). In January 1965, Syrian government officials announced that Eli is an Israeli spy. She understood from him that he would be working for the Ministry of Defense, but she didnt know where or in what capacity. On 18 May 1965, Eli cohen was woken by the jailer and fastened the noose, and hang up, the huge poster was fastened on his chest where his sentence was written in Arabic. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. The Golan is not only important for its military significance. According to his fictional biography, in 1948 the family moved to Argentina, where they opened a successful textile business. Kamal Amin Taabets (Eli Cohen) return to Syria would ostensibly be the fulfillment of a lifelong patriotic dream. Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. The three major tributaries of the upper Jordan River the Dan, the Baniyas, and the Hatzbani all originate in the Golan. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. had succeeded in friending a Saudi entrepreneur who had been contracted to plan and dig canals, the name was his friend was bin Laden, little Osama's father. She has pleaded for years and is still waiting to receive Eli's body. In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. The crime of obtaining secret information is kept hidden to ensure the safety of the country to benefit the enemy. All these years, I remained faithful to him. Eli Cohen's son, Shaul, was only 2 weeks old when he last saw his father. Syria brought hydraulic engineers and diversion equipment to actualize the scheme. The news spread everywhere that the Syrian leader is a spy, a president friend, a millionaire. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. their chief noticed that their decision taken by the government was broadcast to Israel. [2], A 2018 article published in Newsweek by Ronen Bergman excerpted from Bergman's book Rise and Kill First, says that Eli Cohen located Alois Brunner, a Nazi scientist suspected of living in Syria, and relayed the information to an Israel intelligence unit that later sent letter bombs to Brunner. At the beginning of the 1956 War, when Israel occupied the Sinai, Eli Cohen was detained by the Egyptian authorities, and was expelled from Egypt along with the remainder of Alexandrian Jews at the end of the war. Since 1992, the Golan has been up for discussion in the peace talks, but it strikes a very emotional chord among Israelis due to its historic and strategic significance, in addition to its natural beauty. References ^ Eli Cohen Knesset ^ Eli Cohen Ministry of Economy and Industry ^ Kulanu list Central Elections Committee - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Daniel Sonnenfeld,55 years after execution in Syria, Israeli spy Eli Cohen makes headlines,Jerusalem Post, February 27, 2021). Sacha Baron Cohen in 'The Spy' as Eli Cohen. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, place of death: Al Marjeh Square, Damascus, Syria, See the events in life of Eli Cohen in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQ6b-9OewI, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ9cUmvkgmg. Scheffeldt, 63, is the widow of Rifa'at al-Gamal, an Egyptian spy who reportedly operated in Israel for a number of years. Cohens contacts, nurtured through a string of lavish dinner parties, social occasions, and friendships with those in high places, led to invitations to visit Damascus and to set up a business venture there. [29] Mossad director Yossi Cohen presented it to Cohen's family in a ceremony, and it is currently on display at Mossad headquarters. In the 1960s, Israel developed a national water carrier which diverted water from the Kinneret into a pipeline that irrigated much of the country and especially Israels arid south. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. [19] He also learned of a secret plan to create three successive lines of bunkers and mortars; the Israel Defense Forces would otherwise have expected to encounter only a single line. Nadia Cohen, widow of executed Israeli spy Eli Cohen, speaks to Channel 2 on September 20, 2016 after Syrian opposition forces release new video showing moments after he was hanged in. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. "The moment that they informed me [of the watch's recovery] my mouth went dry and I got the chills," Nadia told Israeli TV. Eli, who would feign intoxication, remained sober and listened carefully., In addition to providing loans to government officials and acting as an avid host, he was asked for advice by government officials, who were often intoxicated by the alcohol he freely provided. The following year, Syria found out about Cohen by tracing his intelligence transmissions to Israel. [8], Israel's secret police recruited a sabotage unit of Jewish Egyptian citizens in 1955 which attempted to undermine Egypt's relationships with western powers in the "Lavon Affair". Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. Because of that, perhaps he just tired of the whole charade. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. Another tutor trained him to speak Arabic. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. [7] Cohen is married, has four children and lives in Holon. It could not let Syria succeed and planning a response. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. So now we have a request. Unfortunately, Nadia and her family are still waiting to get Elis body and have not made peace with it. Again, I. Al-Hafidh claims he was in negotiations with the Mossad to reveal the information, but wanted $1million for his services which the intelligence agency refused to pay. On January 24, 1965, Syrian intelligence broke into his home in the middle of a transmission. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. On May 15, 1965, Eli wrote a final letter to Nadia, requesting her not to mourn his death and stating that she should hold her head high, as her husband had done nothing wrong. Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy best known for his espionage work in the 1960s in Syria, where it was alleged he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy and became the chief adviser to the country's defense minister. Elis connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. Israels defense planners urgently needed reliable intelligence on the scope of the water diversion project engineering plans, diagrams, maps, and other data and up-to-the-minute assessments of Soviet influence in the Syrian capital, as well as detailed information on plans for the modernization, equipping, and retraining of Syrian forces. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. [11], The Mossad recruited Cohen after Director-General Meir Amit, looking for a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government, came across his name while looking through the agency's files of rejected candidates, after none of the current candidates seemed suitable for the job. A month later, a Syrian officer would say that one of Israel's attack architects had been Eli Cohen, who was in Israel during the battle. In 1951, he was arrested and interrogated over his Jewish and Zionist activities that he was carrying out under the tutelage of Alexandria's chief rabbi. He had also participated in various Israeli furtive operations in the country during the 1950s. If you've already watched all of The Spy and are curious to know more about Cohen, then these accounts of the real-life Cohen might make for curious reading. According to an unconfirmed but widely believed story, he feigned sympathy for the soldiers exposed to the sun and had trees planted at every position, placed to provide shade. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Eli's wife Nadia, played by Hadar Ratzon Rotem, has to deal with raising two children without her husband, who disappears for up to a year at a time without being allowed to tell her what he's actually doing or even where he is. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. But even after four decades, there are still many questions related to the Eli Cohen affair, some minor, others major - among them, the way in which Syrian counterintelligence identified the Israeli spy. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. he goes abroad for business and meets Nadia and Sophie in Bat Yam. I am begging you my dear Nadia not to spend your time in weeping about some thing already passed. Recalling Elis final days, Nadia states he was in Bat Yam, with her and the three babies. Israel's minister of defense Pinhas Lavon and colonel Benyamin Gibli head of military intelligence, concocted a dangerous and foolish plan if several terrorist bombings were swept Egypt, the British will return to its former bases and concluded that Egypt's couldn't maintain law and order. Fortunately, several were easy to spot, for they . In 1961, Eli was sent to Buenos Aires in the guise of a Syrian textile businessman. Cohen was born and raised in Egypt and was expelled to Israel in 1956. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. He was convicted in a trial without a defense and sentenced to death. Despite being away from home for months at a time, he fathered three children, Sophie, Irit and Shai. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. With time he was taken even more into the confidence of the highest echelons of power. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. Cohen had aided the unit and was implicated, but they found no link between him and the perpetrators. Some attributed this to a sense of cockiness (despite the fears he had expressed in November 1964), due to the ability and ease he had moved about in the highest echelons of Syrian power. Others have attributed the carelessness to an almost suicidal tendency perhaps, it was later surmised, he had been in the undercover world too long, but knew he couldnt get out of it. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? The complete trust Cohen enjoyed among his unwitting informants is illustrated by the following incident, which might have serious consequences for the Israeli agents. your father and uncle opened a textile store, but it went bankrupt your father died in 1956 and six months later your mother died too. He would entertain high-ranking politicians and military officials at extravagant parties where there would be many women and lots of booze. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. [7] He took part in various Israeli covert operations in the country during the 1950s, although the Egyptian government could never prove his involvement in Operation Goshen, an Israeli operation to smuggle Egyptian Jews out of the country and resettle them in Israel due to increasing hostility in Egypt. later he handed with Syrian passport in name of kamal Amin tabet, he advised to open a bank account in that name and start visiting Arab restaurants, the cinema where Arab movies are shown, and political club. [22], It is claimed that the intelligence that Cohen gathered before his arrest was an important factor in Israel's success in the Six-Day War,[23] although some intelligence experts have argued that the information he provided about the Golan Heights fortifications was also readily available from ground and aerial reconnaissance. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. In the interview, she said that her husband left behind memoirs, notes and other evidence. [31] A memorial stone has been erected to Cohen in the Garden of the Missing Soldiers in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem. Sophia Cohen the 26-year-old daughter of billionaire hedge funder and Mets owner Steve Cohen is no longer engaged to her financier boyfriend Jason Levine, Page Six has confirmed. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, and several Mossad operatives all attended his son's Bar Mitzvah in 1977. Born Country:- Iraq Wife/Husband/Ex:- Eli Cohen (m. 1959-1965) Children:- Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Nadia Cohen is the widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who spied in Syria by posing as a wealthy merchant during the early 1960s before being caught and hanged to death publicly. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. they let him see fortification and the bunkers, weapon concentrated in the area, and their offensive plans.l lieutenant Zaher Al-Din took Eli to the El Hama military camp, where large quantities of new weapons had been stored. The highly vigilant Russian security experts, equipped with very sensitive technical intelligence-gathering equipment, pinpointed the source of the transmissions in the Syrian capital and it was Elis home. According to Scheffeldt, al-Gamal wrote in his memoirs of his friendship with Marcelle Ninio, who was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the Jewish Underground, and also about Eli Cohen. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Israeli spy who was captured and executed in Syria, that enabled them to destroy the equipment prepared for the task, "Israel's Secret Operation to Recover the Watch of a Legendary Spy", "Rumors fly that body of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen was found", "Eli Cohen, notre agent "top secret" Damas", "Mossad's master of deception: the astounding true story of Israeli super-spy Eli Cohen", Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure', "Unending agony for legendary spy Eli Cohen and his widow", "Israel's secret war against Hitler's scientists", "The History of Elie Cohen: An Egyptian Jew who became Israel's greatest spy", "Will Israel's superspy finally rest in peace? The Syrians and their Russian advisers were alarmed by the intelligence that was seeping out of the country. Hafiz ordered Cohen's execution after he was convicted of espionage in 1965. "I was cooperating with the New Zealand Secret Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the Mossad, in order to help find the remains of the Israeli spy Eli Cohen," he said. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. It hurt. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. But in 2018, Cohens watch was retrieved in a secret Mossad scheme. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. The president was ousted from power a year later in 1966. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. Eli was friends with two highly placed Army officers, Colonels Hatoum and Dali, who were fully informed about the scheme. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. As depicted in Episodes 4 and 5 of The Spy, Cohen aligns with Hafiz and the Ba'ath political party to overthrow the reigning government of Syria in March 1963. I want him (Yossi Cohen) to clarify what hapepned," said the 84-year-old. Thats why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. He is best known for his espionage work in 196165 in Syria, where he developed close relationships with the Syrian political and military hierarchy.[1][2][3]. But in 1965, he was unmasked. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future!I send you my last kisses to you and to the children: Sophie, Irit, and Shaoul, and to the rest of my family, especially my motherPlease pray for my soul. The children could not react to Eli's absence. But he spent most of his time in Tel Aviv perfecting his cover and being briefed on Amans requirements of him in Syria, as well as last-minute intelligence data needed for his mission. His success in effectively penetrating the Syrian social and political/diplomatic/military strata already wildly exceeded Amans expectations of him, Cohen arrived in Damascus in February 1962, posing as a businessman from Argentina who had returned to his native land. Nadia and Eli Cohen pictured in the 1960s The 41-year-old was brutally hanged in Marjeh Square in Damascus in front of a crowd of 10,000 people, in May 1965 - and despite his last request to have his body returned to Israel, the Syrian authorities have to this day never disclosed the whereabouts of his remains.
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