[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. Eli Cohen, b treo c ni cng cng ti qung trng Marjeh, Damascus vo ngy 18 thng 5 nm 1965 Sau mt phin xt x ti ta n qun s, ng kt ti gin ip v chu n t hnh trong b lut hnh s. The headline reads: Israeli Eli Cohen was hangded this morning in Damascus. Before leaving, Cohen assured his wife it would be his last trip before he returned home permanently. Lo ltimo que poda imaginar era que la felicidad que la embarg al contraer matrimonio con l, terminara tan distinto de todos sus planes, que Eli se convertira poco despus en Kamal Amin . They were married in a synagogue within a month and she soon became pregnant with their first child, daughter Sophie. In the 1970s, they left Israel for Germany and in 1982, al-Gamal, alias Jacques Biton, died of an illness. Finally, Cohen's instructors decided that the time had come to craft him a cover story. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. Although his parents and brothers left for Israel in 1949, he remained in Egypt until 1956 and may have been involved with Israel's unsuccessful Operation . He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. Last year, Israel was able to retrieve Cohens wristwatch from Syria and return it to his family. He then moved to Damascus in February 1962, under his new identity, Kamel Amin Thaabet, to extract classified information from Syrian military officers. Spread the word. At this time the Ba'ath Party was illegal in Syria but the party seized power in 1963. [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. He was sent to Argentina, where he took on the guise of a businessman, scion of a Syrian family. he goes abroad for business and meets Nadia and Sophie in Bat Yam. 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. My curiosity got the best of me. Nadia, who is fighting to return her husbands remains to Israel, said I would kiss and hug all of this production if thats what would bring Eli to me. Incidentally, the Mossad was recently able to retrieve her husbands watch and return it to her. This helped the army win the Six-Day War and capture the Golan Heights. Two of them were Abraham and Maurice. The purposes of that visit were to pass on intelligence and to enable him to witness the birth of his third child. A legend. 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]. Even today Syria refuses to return his body for burial in Israel. While Eli has been celebrated as a national hero in Israel since his death, she remained reclusive for decades. (Haim Zach/GPO). [12], He was then given a false identity as a Syrian businessman who was returning to the country after living in Argentina. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. Likud MK Eli Cohen Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 8, 2022. Syrian officials began to suspect there was a spy in their midst after Israel thwarted a . He had been repeatedly interrogated and tortured. In 1957, Eli joined the Israel Defense Forces as a counterintelligence analyst and later applied for the Israeli intelligence agency 'Mossad,' which rejected him. [7][9], Israel staged an international campaign for clemency, hoping to persuade the Syrians not to execute him. This book explains what happened in the six day war. Eli kept transmitting reports of a military character, top military orders, reports on new weapons to Israel. Eli Cohen, in full Eliahu ben Shaoul Cohen, also called Kamal Amin Thaabet, (born 1924, Alexandria, Egyptdied May 18, 1965, Damascus, Syria), Egyptian-born Israeli spy who infiltrated the highest ranks of the Syrian military and government by posing as a Syrian businessman. Wed, 18 May 2022 - 12:49 GMT. Cohen wasnt allowed tell anyone of the plans and told his wife that he was working abroad for Israels Defense Ministry. Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visits Kyiv as pressure mounts over military aid Eli Cohen was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as senior Ukrainian. Cohen wrote in his final letter on 15 May 1965:[7]. There is always the risk that the agent remains loyal to his original handlers and has managed to fool his new bosses. After some months, Abdel Latif Hassan introduces Eli to General Amin El-Hafez, the military attache at the embassy. However, running a double agent is considered to be one of the most complex missions in intelligence work. Sacha Baron Cohen's portrayal of Eli Cohen in Netflix's The Spy is compelling, but the character makes his fair share of mistakes. In February 1962, Cohen moved to Damascus. Eli was, however, taken in by 'Mossad' when Director-General Meir Amit was in search of a special agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. She was eventually able to appreciate the renewed interest in her late husband and was impressed by Sacha Barons acting. His fateful transmission on January 24, 1965 was pinpointed by security officers who then conducted a pre-dawn raid on his home. In the 1960s, Israeli clerk-turned-secret agent Eli Cohen goes deep undercover inside Syria on a perilous, years-long mission to spy for Mossad. Already a member? New video emerges of final moments when Israeli spy Eli Cohen was hanged in Damascus - i24NEWS Maya Margit 4.22K subscribers Subscribe 4.3K Save 1.1M views 6 years ago Notice Age-restricted. He sent intelligence to Israel by radio, secret letters, and occasionally in person; he secretly traveled to Israel three times. In 2006, after the death of Elis brother Maurice, she replaced him as the leader of a campaign to return his remains to Israel. 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. Do what you must, don't deprive the children of a father. Using Biton, Israel "fed" Egypt with false intelligence that reportedly contributed to the Six Day War victory. In 1960, he was recruited to join the Mossad for a special mission in which he was to pretend to be a Syrian businessman returning to the country after having lived in Argentina. Eli Cohen is a name that doesn't need any introduction. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. in Israel, he found the job of translating weekly and monthly magazines for a man after a few months he was fired. They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. 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. LAW-0245AO (05/18) His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. She also said she understood and respected the show. In 1960, Cohen was approached by the Mossad for a mission in Syria. In January 1947, he was enlisted in the Egyptian army as an alternative to paying the mandatory sum that all young Jews had to pay. 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. Al-Gamal was born in 1927 and aspired to become an actor. August, 1959. She only learnt about the extent of her husbands work when she gave in to her curiosity and secretly opened the letters from the Mossad. Rare footage of Israeli spy Eli Cohen's execution in Damascus was handed to Israel by Syrian rebel forces. [4], Cohen provided an extensive amount and wide range of intelligence data for the Israeli Army between 1961 and 1965. Eliyahu BenShaul Cohen (Hebrew , Arabic 26 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Israeli spy. Israel could not survive without Jordan's water. Eli Cohen's daughter Sofia Ben-Dor was excited about it because that is all they have. In fact, he was the first of the family to move to Israel in 1949. [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. [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. Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, Defense Minister Ezer Weizmann, and many Mossad officials attended Eli's son's bar mitzvah in 1977. Eli Cohen was the man for the job. Eli has been honored as an Israeli national hero, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named after him. Eli Cohenbecame certain that Israel had spied in the Syrian government. Damascus: The son of ex-President Amin Al Hafez has reached out to Israel, saying that he knows exactly where the remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen are buried in Damascus. In 1963, new Ramdas replaced Meir Amit for a few months in charge of both a man and Mossad. Israel has for decades worked to retrieve his remains. Abdel Latif Hassan immediately wrote four letters one to his brother-in-law, two to friends in Beirut, and fourth to his son in Damascus. Israeli Hebrew Author Sami Michael Is Her Brother. But he refused). The execution was recorded on 35mm film. For as little as $6/month, you will: Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. 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. Meet Kane Atwood, Son of YouTuber Roman Atwood, James Dougherty All About First Husband of Marilyn Monroe, Facts About Zhuri James, Daughter of LeBron James, Copyright Factsninja | But the intelligence officers convinced him to go back one last time. 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. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. Netflix's The Spy is a thrilling television miniseries starring Sacha Baron Cohen as real-life Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the Syrian government at a high level during the 1960s. 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. [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. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office. [30], Cohen has become a national hero in Israel, and many streets and neighborhoods have been named for him. However, after the government issued a warrant for his arrest in 1948 due to his activism, the family was forced to smuggle him out of the country. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a childhood memory: In his family's living room in London, there sat a book called Our Man in Damascus. Cohen c cho rng b thm vn v tra tn nhiu ln. one evening he met one gentleman, Abdel Latif Hassan, editor in chief of Arab world magazine publish in Argentina. 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? After several days, Eli got a new identity as Kamal Amin Tablet, son of Syrian parents, born in Beirut. His mother, Daniella Naomi, a fitness instructor and photographer, was born in Israel to a German Jewish mother, Liesel Weiser, a ballet dancer turned fitness instructor who escaped Nazi Germany before . By ToI Staff 21 September 2016, 1:52 am. They had three children, Sophie, Irit, and Shai. when you were three, your family left Lebanon and moved to Egypt Alexandria. He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. He would also lend money to government officials, and many came to him for advice. I am writing you these last words, minutes before my end, with the hope that you stay together forever. [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. In January 1965, Syrian security services broke into Eli's apartment, where he was caught while he was escaping to Israel. In February 2007, a Turkish official assured assistance to Eli's family to get back his body. It takes just a few seconds. Elie Cohen Eli Wallach Yacov Sasson Gabay General Haled (as Sason Gabay) Michal Bat-Adam Nadia Cohen Rami Danon Avram Chaim Jeraffi Salloum (as Haim Girafi) Jacques Cohen Assan (as Jack Cohen) Anat Barzilai Galela (as Anat Barzilay) Yossi Keinan Nassim (as Yossi Kenan) Yehudit Millo Madame Massim (as Judith Millo) Victor Kamar Major Massim After weeks of surveillance, he was finalized and was put to training. Decades after the Eli Cohen affair there are still many questions, some minor, others major - among them, the way in which Syrian counterintelligence identified the Israeli spy (from the archive). Nadia Cohen attempted to appeal for clemency at the Syrian Embassy in Paris but was turned away. "It was like a think tank," explained Paul. It was approved by, The head of the presidency council on 17/5/1965, Top 10 Weakest Militaries in the World | The Bahamas, Central African Republic, The Gambia,Barbados, Somalia, Luxembourg military power, MiG-29 vs. Su-27: The Soviet Union's Two Top Fighters Went Head to Head in an East African Air War, Ravindra Kaushik RAW Agent ( Black Tiger) Wife, son, Death reason, | Facts about Ravindra Kaushik | Ravindra Kaushik Movie, Israel's Iron Dome Vs S-400 Russian Comparison, Price, Success Rate | Iron Dome vs S400 which is better, Top amazing facts about RAW and Agent : History, Foundation, Joining , Department of RAW, Eli Cohen Wife, Children | Israeli Spy biography | Last Letter to his wife and Children | Eli Cohen death writing translation | george seif syria. Cohen was arrested in January 1965 while transmitting to his handlers. We, citizens of Israel, will forever remember Eli Cohen as a true hero, who sacrificed his life in the defense of our security and for the freedom of our country." (Ynet) Every morning, Eli would leave home and head for the Aman training center. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 to Feb. 26, 2023, 8,101 deaths were recorded . 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[9], In 1959, he married Nadia Majald, born circa 1935,[10] an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant and the sister of author Sami Michael. While there, he gained the trust of Amin al-Hafez, who would later become Syrias president. Asked to pinpoint what she found not to be reflective of her familys experience, Ben-Dor cited the ethnic gap, noting her mother was never a maid as was portrayed in the series. Kamal had been "born" in Beirut, and his fictional family had. Israeli spy (1924-1965) Kamel Amin Thaabet. In November 1964, Tel Dan Syria open fire on Israel tractors in the demilitarized zone. 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. [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. He was sentenced to death. 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He took on the name Kamel Amin Thaabet and went to live in Argentina for some time to build a name for himself in the Syrian expat community. Eli Cohen is a Hero in Israel: Multiple streets and parks in the Golan are named after his name. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. The newly appointed Syrian intelligence colonel, Ahmed Su'edani, disliked Eli. And so Eli became Kamal Amin Tabet, the Syrian son of textile merchant Amin Tabet and Saida Ibrahim. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. Eli visited other Arab friends as Abdel Latif Hassan and his briefcase was full of enthusiastic letters of recommendation. I beg you my dear Nadia do not spend your life weeping for what has passed. Help JNS grow! He is best known for his espionage work in 19611965 in Syria, where he developed close relationships with the political and mil. In Israel, Eli Cohen's faced . In the fifties, Israel had launched a project of huge pipeline and canals that would carry a part of the jorden river water to the arid Negev region. For the next two years, he worked as a filing clerk in a Tel Aviv insurance office, and married Nadia Majald, an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant, in 1959. . One day they took Eli to visit the Syrian positions along Israel's border. [8], Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. their chief noticed that their decision taken by the government was broadcast to Israel. "Newer members of the group got to meet Eli for the first time, and Eli took all the questions and proposals under careful consideration. After coming to Israel, he briefly worked as a counter-intelligence analyst with the Israel Defense Forces, but resigned after his attempt to join the Mossad was rejected. Syria has not even disclosed the location of Eli's 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. Nadia Majald, and together they had three children. It was hard to see the distance from the truth in some parts of the series, Sophie Ben-Dor said in an interview with Channel 12 news. Cohen will serve as Israel's new foreign affairs minister in rotation with Israel Katz, who was appointed minister of energy. The message was passed on to the Syrians, who arrested Cohen. After several days, Eli got a new identity as. Cohen was then informed that Mossad had decided to recruit him and underwent an intensive six-month course at the Mossad training school. - From Eli Cohen's last letter to his wife Nadia and his children, written an hour before his execution in Damascus. [34], The Israeli settlement Eliad on the Golan Heights is named for him.[35]. She lived in Kibbutzim and was drafted into the military to serve the country like everyone else. The national turmoil over the PMs judicial overhaul is now being exacerbated by surging Palestinian terrorism and settler extremism. "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. Egyptian authorities uncovered the spy ring and sentenced two of the members to death. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. Cohen was offended when Mossad rejected him, and resigned from military counterintelligence. [27] Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied family requests for the remains. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. 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