The agent replied: "Will do, thanks K".
'I know where Eli Cohen is buried,' says alleged son of ex - ynetnews [9] The governments of Belgium, Canada, and France tried to persuade the Syrian government to commute the death sentence,[25] but the Syrians refused. But the intelligence officers convinced him to go back one last time. One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. Periodically Eli would return to Israel to speak with his Israeli handlers and visit his wife and small children. ", "Former Assad aide: Eli Cohen's burial site unknown],mm", "New footage emerges of Eli Cohen on the gallows", "Mossad Brings Home Watch of Israeli Spy Executed in Syria; Netanyahu Hails 'Brave' Op", "Watch of famed Israeli spy Eli Cohen recovered by Mossad", "The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy", "Will Assad's Ouster Free Body of Israel Spy? The Spy sees a friendship blossoming between Eli Cohen and Amin al-Hafiz, the future president of Syria, that begins as Cohen first goes undercover as Thaabet in Buenos Aires and mutually benefits them both for yearsright through to Cohen's discovery as an Israeli spy and subsequent execution.
The Story of Eli Cohen, the Israeli Superspy Who Almost Became Syria's 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. In his late teens, Cohen became an ardent Zionist and at the same time, as . Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. That is, until Meir Dagan took over as chief. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. In 1965, the Syrian secret service was on high alert. Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on December 26, 1924, the second of eight children in a family of orthodox Jews. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. Cohen's training was long and exhausting. In December 1956, the Jewish Agency assisted Eli to deport to Israel in a vessel. Eli's handlers were continually persuading him to return. But the series did not give al-Gamal enough credit, she said, and this led her to reveal his memoirs, which he wrote in secret and deposited with a lawyer for safekeeping. Eli Cohen (pictured, at center) was born in Egypt in 1924 to Jewish parents who had immigrated to Alexandria from Aleppo, Syria. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. In 1954, the British pull out of Egypt completely. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Spy. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. He continued his social life, spending a lot of time in cafes listening to political gossip. Since then, Nadia has always counted on him. "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. Prior to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, Cohen was arrested and interrogated over his Zionist activities. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. 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. After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. 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. Despite this, however, Israeli intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. They warned me not to discuss the issue with Eli anymore and to share his secret with no one.".
"Suddenly something changed there toward us. It could not let Syria succeed and planning a response. Kamal Amin Tabet hosted a glamorous party in Damascus, several ministers, a large number of general and colonel, top leaders of the Baath party, businessmen. [12][16], In 2016, a Syrian group calling itself "Syrian art treasures" posted a video on Facebook showing Cohen's body after his execution.
Nadia Cohen - Life Story of Widow of Israeli Spy Eli Cohen - Facts Ninja On August 31, 1959, he married a beautiful Iraqi-born Jew, Nadia Majald.
thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. 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. Saif calmly replied, Theres nothing to worry about. Cohen immigrated to Israel in 1957 and was recruited by Military Intelligence, to a unit that later became part of the Mossad. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. The crime of obtaining secret information is kept hidden to ensure the safety of the country to benefit the enemy. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Golan is not only important for its military significance. While undercover in Argentina in The Spy, Cohen struggles to resist drafting her notes, even if it puts him in danger. He reminded me of my father sometimes, she added. Eli Cohen provided an incredible amount of intelligence data to the Israeli Army over a period of three years. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen heads to Germany Tuesday as part of Israel's campaign to halt Iran's . one after the other 69 people were arrested. 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.. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power.
Meir even appealed to the Soviet Union. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. In a display of generosity, the tabet contributed some money to build a public kitchen for the poor of Damascus. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. What is perhaps most amazing about Eli Cohen is that he was genuinely liked even loved by so many of the top Syrian leaders. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. He even trained at the same facility that had served as home to his doomed Susannah compatriots in 1953. He returned to Egypt in 1956 but was suspected immediately and was placed under surveillance. Please try again or choose an option below. I understand and respect [it], she said in a separate interview earlier Sunday with the network. Later, visiting his sister-in-law, Cohen's wife Nadia, he notices that she has a brand new Singer sewing machine in her home. 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. Israel has had a quiet northern border on the Golan with the exception of some occasional fallout from the Syrian civil war for more than 40years. 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. The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. 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. The Kinneret supplies Israel with most of its water needs. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Already a member? His successes couldn't be vocally shared with his family, however. The Israeli government and Cohens widow have for many years sought the return of Elis body.
Eli Cohen Wife, Children | Israeli Spy biography | Last Letter to his The daughter of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen said Sunday it hurt to watch the new Netflix series about her fathers life and execution in Syria, lamenting some historical inaccuracies in the adaptation but praising Sacha Baron Cohens performance. Al-Gamal rushed to inform his superiors that Thabet was none other than Eli Cohen, the Alexandrian Jew. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a . Cohen accepted the calling. 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. In February 1961 one man handed him an Israeli passport in his real name and a plane ticket to Zurich.on his arrival, Eli was met by a white-haired man who gave him a passport from another name, that passport carried an entry visa to chile and a transit visa to Argentina. They married in 1959, a month after meeting, and had three children together. It, however, did not change the situation. he transfers all operations to Mossad, Eli was now Mossad agent. Cohen was convicted of espionage. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. 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. 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. He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. [5], His parents and three brothers left for Israel in 1949, but he remained to finish a degree in electronics and coordinate Jewish and Zionist activities. Look after them, raise them up and educate them well, and don't deprive them or yourself of anything. He soon established himself in the social and cultural life of the Syrian community of Buenos Aires and was known as a wealthy businessman who was generous, tipped well, and loved the night life. 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.
What Netflix's 'The Spy' Gets Wrong About Eli Cohen She was told he would be completely safe, and she believed that until his capture in 1965. Daniel Sonnenfeld,55 years after execution in Syria, Israeli spy Eli Cohen makes headlines,Jerusalem Post, February 27, 2021). His last wish was to see a rabbi. Hence, Nissim Andabo, the elderly chief rabbi of Syria accompanied him to Marjeh Square.. It went wrong, really wrong," he said. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! Incorrect password. She also said she understood and respected the show. At first, he refused. Cohen went undercover in Syria as Kamel Amin Thaabet in the early 1960s, aligned himself with key military and government personnel and fed intel back to Israel. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/nadia-cohen-46980.php. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. He wrote a last letter to his wife before he mounted the scaffold to a seething crowd. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. And much of the credit for Israels ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israels greatest spy. In March 1963, General Hafez, Eli's friend was appointed minister of defense in salah Al-Birat's cabinet. 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. I hope, pray, that he will be returned home by the time I die," Nadia told Haaretz in 2010. "I am the son of the only person on this planet who knows where the remains are buried," he told Newshub in an interview. Eli was, however, taken in by 'Mossad' when Director-General Meir Amit was in search of a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. He did not object, in fact, to the idea of a ladies man reputation. When Intelligence came by a second time, he jumped at it. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. you lived with your uncle and worked as a travel agency, later were very successful. 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. If indeed Biton was a double agent - and Israeli intelligence prides itself on the quality of his work - then it is difficult to believe that he exposed Cohen. 4 Min Read. It also provides 30% of Israels water sources. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. But Sophie was born without seeing his father. Al-Gamal, for his part, adopted the Jewish identity of Jacques Biton and immigrated to Israel from France on the orders of Egyptian intelligence.
His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. This coincided with the continuance of Palestinian terrorist infiltrators arriving from the Syrian border, along with a continual flow of Soviet technical assistance to Syria.
Steve Cohen's daughter Sophia splits from fianc - Page Six The Israel Defense Forces were alleged to have used the trees as targeting markers during the Six-Day War, which enabled Israel to capture the Golan Heights in two days. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title.
Elis larger-than-life persona has attracted many filmmakers, who have then used his story for their projects. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. In 2019, Netflix created the seriesThe SpystarringSacha Baron Cohen to tell his story. He was tortured, but he wouldnt give away any incriminating information about Israel. 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. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. On the day of his execution, his last wish to see a rabbi was respected by the prison authorities, and Nissim Indibo, the elderly Chief Rabbi of Syria, accompanied him in the truck. I give you my blessing. During their exchange, Cohen signs off by asking, "Did N get the Singer?" Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. He also held parties at his home, which turned into orgies for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others, who used Elis apartment for assignations with various women, including Defense Ministry secretaries, airline hostesses, and Syrian singing stars. At these parties such highly-placed officials would talk freely of their work and army plans. In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. Eli's second instructor Yehuda taught him how to use a small, sophisticated radio transmitter. 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. 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. "Their ages range from four and a half to 32." "You must be very proud," I offer. Earlier communication between the alleged son and the intelligence agency reveals Al-Hafidh was adamant on receiving the money. 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. The previous year, which marked Elis 50th death anniversary, Nadia had addressed a memorial dedicated to him. Nadia, understandably, has remained fixated on her loss. Concentrate on yourself, looking forward for a better future! in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. 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? Hes a trusted friend.. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. He organized several protest campaigns against the British rule. 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. Nevertheless, Kamal Amin Taabet (Eli Cohen) succeeded in visiting every position. Cohen was released because he was not linked with the underground. The drunk guests would often end up blabbing about their work to Cohen, who was sober but would pretend to be intoxicated. "Soon after, my commanding officers summoned me to my base and informed me that Eli had spoken to them about the phone number incident. 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. Cohen would pretend to be drunk to encourage such conversations, to which he paid close attention. 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. Employment was not always steady, and he soon had to rely more on Nadia to help support their marriage, which would quickly lead to children.