Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. One of his friends found a new job as an accountant, month later he Marty with Nadia, a nurse of Iraqi origin. children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxhaPGREa74. She smiles. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. Melita Norwood | longest-serving British spy | Melita Norwood Book, Death, Family, Daughter | melita norwood images. Eli told Nadia that he got a job with a company that works with defense and foreign ministries, he needs to travel to Europe to buy tools and equipment, and materials for Israel's military. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. The TV film 'The Impossible Spy' (1987) chronicled Eli's life. they made great efforts to locate the secret transmission to Israel with help of Soviet-made equipment, in January 1965 they got success. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. At first, he refused. It doesnt fit our story but I understand the situation. love of country, sacrifice and about his life and my life, my children." . Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. From 1948 until 1967, Syria firing mortar shells from the Syrian occupied Golan Heights into the Jewish settlements of the Upper Galilee below. Eli started transmitting his message to Israel daily at 8 a.m. After six months kamal Amin tabet become well known. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. [7], In January 1965, Syrian officials, who used Soviet-made tracking equipment and were assisted by Soviet experts, increased their efforts to find a high-level spy. "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 parents, Syrian Jews from the thriving town of Aleppo, had always instilled in their educationally minded son the traditions of the Jewish people, of Zionism, and of the culture of Syria's Jewish community, in particular." According to al-Gamal's version, he saw a photograph in an Arab newspaper at a newspaper stand in Frankfurt's train station that showed Amin Kamel Thabet touring fortifications on the Golan Heights with Syrian officers. Again, I. A year later, in 1965, Cohen was caught transmitting over the radio back to Tel Aviv. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' [26], Monthir Maosily, the former bureau chief of Hafez Al-Assad, claimed in August 2008 that the Syrians had buried him three times to stop the remains from being taken back to Israel via a special operation. He became a confidante of George Saif, high up in the Ministry of Information. Did you spend your weekend binge-watching Netflix's taut thriller, The Spy? For more than 50 years, Nadia has fought to have her husbands body returned to Israel. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. One day in 1960 Israeli Intelligence approached him about working for them again. Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. soon Israel's tanks and cannon riposted with heavy fire, and minutes later mirage pounded the Syrian position and blasted the cannon of Syria that was dug. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. Eli's first instructor Yitzhak learned to memorize things, he throws a dozen objects on the table and Eli observe them for a second and described them. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. For 19 years, Jewish settlements in the north were under constant threat of Syrian guns. [16][17] Mossad had carefully planned the tactics that he was to use in building relationships with high-ranking Syrian politicians, military officials, influential public figures, and the diplomatic community. He worked as an accountant. He is being executed according to the two articles 158 and 159 of the military penal code, and articles 271, 272, and 274 of the general penal code. 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. The Spy is streaming globally on Netflix. 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. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. Scheffeldt, 63, is the widow of Rifa'at al-Gamal, an Egyptian spy who reportedly operated in Israel for a number of years. But in 1965, he was unmasked. In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as . Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. It takes just a few seconds. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. (Israel GPO), President Reuven Rivlin and Nadia Cohen, at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Mossad super spy Eli Cohen, May 18, 2015. 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. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. He arrived in Israel on February 8, 1957. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. [32], John Shea played Cohen in the television film The Impossible Spy (1987),[33] and Sacha Baron Cohen played him in the Netflix miniseries The Spy (2019). There he met members of the Jewish Underground, handled by Unit 131 of Israel's Military Intelligence, which was exposed by the Egyptians in 1954. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. "The Spy" depicts Egyptian-born Cohen - played by Sacha Baron Cohen - as an ambitious, Arabic-speaking immigrant to Israel who is recruited by Mossad and, overcoming his fears and the strains on his family, infiltrates the Damascus high command by posing as a rich scion of the Syrian diaspora. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. "I have passed your response to our partners and am waiting for a reply," said the agent. Steve Cohen's daughter Sophia splits from fianc - Page Six (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anythingDo what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. Cohen would then send intelligence back to Israel using a hidden radio transmitter. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. When the Baath took power in 1963, Eli was firmly entrenched in Syrian high society. So now we have a request. The next day he comes to Hassan's office and admitted that he is sick and tired to live in Argentina, he wanted to go back to Syria, could he help him with a letter of recommendation? He made friends who moved in highly influential Syrian circles, transmitting his findings back to Israel via radio. Hafiz ordered Cohen's execution after he was convicted of espionage in 1965. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Given their history of a paper trail, its fitting but heartbreaking to learn that their final exchange also took place over written correspondence. His successes couldn't be vocally shared with his family, however. In the footsteps of a spy: Exploring the Golan's Eli Cohen Trail Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. [8] His most famous achievement was the tour of the Golan Heights in which he collected intelligence on the Syrian fortifications there. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Israeli ambassador, Itzhak Gerberg, would not comment on the report. 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. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. Nadia, however, never remarried. While there are reports that Cohen hosted parties that would devolve into orgies at his apartment, in order to gain the trust of high-level people in power, there's no concrete evidence that he played a role in the March 1963 coup. Source:The Pedagogic Center, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, (c) 1992-2007. The execution was broadcast on Syrian television. The agency concluded that Cohen had a high IQ, great bravery, a phenomenal memory, and the ability to keep a secret; but the tests also showed that in spite of his modest appearance, he has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, and a lot of internal tension. Cohen, the results indicated, does not always evaluate danger correctly, and is liable to assume risks beyond those which are necessary.. Cohen was convicted of espionage. Israel tried to obtain the cooperation of her Arab neighbors for the plan, but the Arabs would not agree, even when the United States tried to use its diplomatic leverage for the furtherance of the plan. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, Sophie Ben-Dor (Screen capture: Channel 12 News), This undated photo shows Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria wearing a wristwatch recovered by the Mossad in 2018.