I want him (Yossi Cohen) to clarify what hapepned," said the 84-year-old. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body. The children could not react to Eli's absence. [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. 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. [15], Cohen moved to Damascus in February 1962 under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet (Arabic: ). "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. But his knowledge of. Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. [13][14] In Buenos Aires he moved among the Arab community, letting it be known he had large amounts of money to put at the disposal of the Syrian Ba'ath Party. It says this "does not imply any special relationship or endorsement". Qudsi was ousted from power as a result of the March 8 coup, but Hafiz did not take power until months later. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. The alleged son says the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) contacted him two years ago believing he has clues to the secret location, which his father had apparently taken to the grave. A devout Jew, Cohen wore tefillin during prayer, in his youth he planned of becoming a Rabbi with the backup of Moise Ventura (1893-1978), Chief Rabbi of Alexandria but the Rabbinical School closed down. On 29 December 2022, Cohen was sworn in as Foreign Minister alongside a new government, and will rotate the position with Israel Katz. After his execution, a white parchment filled with anti-Zionist writing was put on his body, and he was left hanging for six hours. 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. While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. 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. "Soon after, my commanding officers summoned me to my base and informed me that Eli had spoken to them about the phone number incident. The husband hunters among the Damascus rich and influential flocked to the handsome Taabet, hoping that their almond eyes, Byzantine beauty, and olive skin would secure a future of wealth and power: He became the most sought-after bachelor in the Syrian capital. The watch is now on display at the 'Mossad' headquarters. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. 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. The Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, plans to name one of the buildings in its compound after Eli Cohen - its spy in Syria who was caught in Damascus, tried, convicted and executed 40 years ago. 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. 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. A New Zealander claiming to the son of a former Syrian president, says he knows the whereabouts of the executed Israeli spy's remains, according to a report on New Zealand news service Newshub on Sunday. Hafiz ordered Cohen's execution after he was convicted of espionage in 1965. He soon became accepted, well-liked, and respected, and made contacts with politicians, diplomats and military officials working out of the Syrian Embassy. He worked as an accountant. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. Cohen heads to Germany to discuss Iran uranium enrichment, IRGC Eli could watch the entrance to the Syrian government officials' guest house. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. But as with all fictional works that derive from real-life events, The Spy, perhaps for reasons ranging from time constraints to story relevance, omits some points in Cohen's story. The text messages between Khalid and the NZSIS. Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. The crime of obtaining secret information is kept hidden to ensure the safety of the country to benefit the enemy. If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. Today, one can see the former Syrian bunkers that remain on the Golan Heights from 1967 (as well as the tanks from 1973). He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. She once called her children and four grandchildren to her home in Herzliya, clicked a photo of them together, and sent it to Assad, congratulating him on the birth of his son, Bashar. Eli Cohenalso learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. Scheffeldt, 63, is the widow of Rifa'at al-Gamal, an Egyptian spy who reportedly operated in Israel for a number of years. The Story of Eli Cohen, the Israeli Superspy Who Almost Became Syria's This article was originally published in May 2005 and republished to coincide with the release of "The Spy" - a Netflix series about Eli Cohen's life. [29] Mossad director Yossi Cohen presented it to Cohen's family in a ceremony, and it is currently on display at Mossad headquarters. It is for these reasons Eli Cohen is known as Israels greatest spy. 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. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. The Spy, which was released Friday, tells the story of Cohen, who spied for Israel in Syria during the 1960s, providing valuable intelligence that was said to have greatly assisted the Israeli military in the 1967 Six Day War. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! The execution was recorded on 35mm film. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: , Arabic: ; 6 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. 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. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. 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. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. Please try again or choose an option below. Fiyaz Mughal,Eli Cohens body must be returned to Israel, The JC, (Undated). He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. The Arabs would have none of it and decided to divert the sources of the Jordan River which originated in Arab-held territory. In this way, the Arabs hoped to deprive Israel of the waters she would need for her national growth. Daniel Sonnenfeld,55 years after execution in Syria, Israeli spy Eli Cohen makes headlines,Jerusalem Post, February 27, 2021). As the Syrian Army officer explained to Eli the fortifications the Syrian Army had built, Eli suggested that the Syrians plant trees there to deceive the Israelis into thinking it was unfortified, as well as to provide shade and beauty for the soldiers stationed there. "This cooperation brings significant benefits to New Zealand's national security, we help them (Mossad), and they help us," they added. The film featured John Shea as Eli. She also said she understood and respected the show. As a young adult, he worked within Egypt to secretly assist other Egyptian Jews in emigrating to Israel. At times before the civil war, the Syrians used Israels northern border with Lebanon to harass Israel the way they used to from the Golan Heights. Eli was friends with two highly placed Army officers, Colonels Hatoum and Dali, who were fully informed about the scheme. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. I understand and respect [it], she said in a separate interview earlier Sunday with the network. In a display of generosity, the tabet contributed some money to build a public kitchen for the poor of Damascus. He was quickly able to infiltrate the highest levels of Syrian society. They even started to organize a ceremony for Eli at the 'Mossad' headquarters in Glilot. Learn more. He had seventeen lovers in Syria, all dazzling beauties with a fair degree of family power. Eli hoped as did Israeli Intelligence that these women would help him escape in time of crisis.. According to the report, Mossad agents were on their way to Auckland, with one text saying: "Wait for our partners to arrive before making a decision.". He escaped punishment due to lack of evidence. [24], Following the 1963 Syrian coup d'tat, newly appointed Syrian Intelligence Colonel Ahmed Suidani disliked Cohen and did not trust figures close to the Second Syrian Republic. Eli Cohen's daughter lukewarm on 'The Spy,' but likes Sacha Baron Cohen Eli found out about Syria's secret plan to attack the Israeli defense forces. 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. He then left the university and continued his studies at home. "I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has past," his final letter read. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. Intelligence created a completely new identity for him. In February 2007, the Turkish government offered to act as a mediator for their return. HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - A Netflix drama about Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the Syrian government in the 1960s and was later executed, has received a . Thanks". "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." There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. They warned me not to discuss the issue with Eli anymore and to share his secret with no one.". [9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. 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. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. Eli Cohen, at 29, offered his services to the Israeli Intelligence Services but was rebuked twice. tabet sends it to Argentina, where his friend dispatches them to Israel with a diplomatic pouch. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. How is it that you dare allow a stranger to read a classified document? he angrily asked Saif. Cohen was publicly hanged in the Marjeh Square in Damascus on 18 May 1965. I had gotten under his cover," said Maurice Cohen. But it . when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. I was more worried, Ben-Dor said of hearing that Cohen, who is known for playing comedic figures such as Borat, would star in the series. Israel attacked the project serval time later they abandon the project in 1965. In the final episode of The Spy, Cohen's brother Maurice, a Mossad analyst, confronts him after discovering he is the secret Agent 88 in Damascus. On September 20, 2016, an unknown Syrian group named 'Syrian Art Treasures' posted a 'Facebook' video showing Eli's body after his execution. Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: 'When he was caught, something died Hes a trusted friend.. His wife, Nadia, would be left a widow with three very young children. Eli was born Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen, on December 26, 1924, in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, into a staunch Jewish and Zionist family. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story - Refinery29 The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. 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. Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. [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. For more than 50 years, Nadia has fought to have her husbands body returned to Israel. Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. 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. Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP The leading figure in the break-in was the head of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani Elis nemesis. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir led a campaign urging Damascus to consider the consequences of hanging him. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? [18], Cohen made repeated visits to the southern frontier zone, providing photographs and sketches of Syrian positions. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. Eli Cohen (pictured, at center) was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents who had immigrated to Alexandria from Aleppo, Syria. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. Fortunately, several were easy to spot, for they . If I wanted something, I called, they put me through to him immediately. He was driven to the airport, where his wife Nadia saw him off. 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 would entertain high-ranking politicians and military officials at extravagant parties where there would be many women and lots of booze. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Widow of Israeli spy Eli Cohen: Netflix drama 'raises my blood pressure' As Intelligence Chief Meir Amit said, Eli succeeded far beyond the capabilities of most other men.. But the intelligence officers convinced him to go back one last time. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . His final visit was in 1964. On July 5, 2018, media channels announced that Elis wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria, which was later given back to Eli's family by 'Mossad' in a ceremony. A number were only released 14 years later, after the 1967 War. Syria tortures him but he was still lying, his face was covered with wounds, his nail was pulled out. Eli Cohen Wife, Children | Israeli Spy biography | Last Letter to his The melting winter snows produce a huge run-off of water which makes the Golan a beautifully verdant area in the late winter and spring and irrigates the Hula and Jordan Valleys below. Eli Cohen The Most Successful Name in The History of Espionage Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. Concentrate on yourself, looking forward for a better future! In addition, the commander of Syrian Intelligence, Colonel Ahmed Suedani trusted no one and disliked Eli. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. Eli, after all, was born in an Arab country, had oriental features, was known to be selfless and fearless in pursuit of a cause, and had knowledge of Arabic, English, and French. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times. He was convicted in a trial without a defense and sentenced to death. 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. He lasted until just July that year when he resigned in protest of the Ba'ath military committee executing dissenting rivals who tried to stage a coup for power. He died in 2009. 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. One of them was Colonel Amin al-Hafaz, a supporter of the secular-leftist Baath party. To no avail. In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. Its waters flow into the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and south to the Dead Sea. He remembered and passed on to Israeli Intelligence the positioning of every Syrian gun, trench, and machine-gun nest in each Golan Heights fortification; tank traps, designed to impede any Israeli attack, were also identified and memorized for future targeting.. Intelligence officers who investigated the issue offered two possibilities: The first is that it was Egyptian intelligence that identified Cohen and gave him up to the Syrians; the second, which is considered more probable, is that the demand for information was so great that frequent communications via radio to Mossad headquarters exposed Cohen to Syrian counterintelligence. The following year, Syria found out about Cohen by tracing his intelligence transmissions to Israel. Eli was brutally tortured and interrogated before he was publicly hanged on May 18, 1965, at the Marjeh Square in Damascus. It was after Atassi resigned on July 27 that Hafiz was named president. The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday "it hurt" to watch the new Netflix series about her father's life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in. On April 15, 2019, a few Israeli news agencies published unconfirmed reports of Eli's remains being recovered in Syria and stated that the remains were with a Russian delegation. His successes couldn't be vocally shared with his family, however. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. 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. For two weeks Cohen was put under surveillance and was judged suitable for recruitment and training. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. Even after the blown operation led to the demise of the Operation Susannah spies, Eli Cohen left Egypt for Israel to undergo intensive espionage training in the summer of 1955. 'I know where Eli Cohen is buried,' says alleged son of ex - ynetnews The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. [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).
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