On his last visit, in 1964, he told intelligence officers he wanted to come in from the cold because he was concerned a new Syrian intelligence commander did not like him. Still, the memory of those domestic joys sustains Cohen while hes away. The information he had been providing them for years was too good to forego. His final visit was in 1964. [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. Concentrate on yourself; look forward to a better future! These skills were instrumental in ensuring the safety and survival of one Kamal Amin Taabet: Eli Cohens new identity. His family is now settled in Bat Yam. Cohen heads to Germany to discuss Iran uranium enrichment, IRGC the plan was doomed from staring, one of the bombs exploded in the pocket of Philip Natanson and was arrested by police and other members were caught in the following days. 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. 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. Eli expressed his fear and wish to terminate his assignment in Syria during his last visit to Israel in November 1964. This is adefinitive andfinal verdict. Meanwhile, every few days he transmitted important information to his Israeli handlers via a radio transmitter he had hidden in his room. Spy Eli Cohen Wife Love Story, American History Has Been Whitewashed, But, Black Teen Girls On TV Are A Mess Finally. Sacha Baron Cohen, the Mossad and Netflix. "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. Where Is Nadia Cohen Now? he soon became a well-known figure in the Arab circle. This week, KAN 11 began broadcasting a documentary series "Lochem 566," (Fighter 566, Cohen's Mossad codename). He returned home to his family only a few times during his mission. China Offering Cutting Edge Type 052D Destroyers For Export: Are Algeria and Russia its Most lIkely Clients? In the show, Cohenas Thaabetbefriends Hafiz in Buenos Aires and later in Damascus helps Hafiz's Ba'ath party seize power. Offended, he resigned from military counterintelligence and took up a clerical job in a Tel Aviv insurance office. They had three childrenSophie, Irit, and Shaiand the family settled in Bat Yam. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eli-cohen-16869.php. Cohen later. Eli Cohen Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements In 1954, Egyptian authorities arrested Eli for being a terror suspect. [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. [7][9] The Israel Defense Forces recruited him in 1957 and placed him in military intelligence, where he became a counter-intelligence analyst. He also held parties at his home for high-placed Syrian ministers, businessmen, and others. [31] A memorial stone has been erected to Cohen in the Garden of the Missing Soldiers in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem. But changes were taking place in the Syrian Government that alarmed Eli. 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. Based on the eucalyptus trees, Israel knew exactly where the Syrian fortifications were. He wasnt even drafted into regular service but was placed in a reserve Israeli Air Force formation as a logistics clerk. Perhaps he wasnt allowed into the security service due to his Military Intelligence evaluation some years before. From 1961 to 1965, Eli transmitted crucial intelligence data, including that of the Golan Heights, to the Israeli army. (PMO), Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli spy Eli Cohen in The Spy (YouTube screenshot), Mossad spy Eli Cohen, executed in Syria in 1965. Instead, he joined the Egyptian merchant marine and was involved in a number of scams, which resulted in his arrest by the Egyptian secret service in 1952. 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. Confused, he took the case to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, the official responsible for supervising New Zealand's two main intelligence agencies, telling him he could have solved the 53-year-old mystery. Eli did go back to Syria, but his behavior changed. However, Eli's loyalty was scrutinized, and he faced harassment by the 'Muslim Brotherhood.' Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Israel in 1957. he goes abroad for business and meets Nadia and Sophie in Bat Yam. "Soon after, my commanding officers summoned me to my base and informed me that Eli had spoken to them about the phone number incident. But his knowledge of the Arab language and Arab culture, as well as prior work in espionage in Egypt, made him a good candidate for the Mossad. Eli could watch the entrance to the Syrian government officials' guest house. Ahead of the mission, Cohen had to learn to speak Arabic in a Syrian accent rather than his native Egyptian. While working as an intelligence officer offer him a job with high pay, Eli didn't say no and become a secret agent. Eli had lost his friends, in 1957 he immigrates to Israel. In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, Chief of Military Intelligence and later president of Israel, signed the document authorizing Cohens use as a spy. [28] The press announced on 5 July 2018 that Cohen's wristwatch had been retrieved from Syria. He was caught and sentenced to death. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Revealed: The Plan to Expand the Israeli Knesset by More Than Double, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. [5] He studied at Cairo Farouk University. In the name of the Syrian Arab people, The Military court has decided in its meeting which was held on Muharram 7th, 1385 - May 8th, 1965 to sentence Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen, a resident of Tel Aviv in Occupied Palestine, to death for committing the following crimes: The crime of disguised entry into a military location. "You know, when I was growing up, I heard a tremendous amount about your husband. He was stunned by the precision of the Israeli bombing during the 1964 attack. Cohen's brothers Abraham and Maurice led a campaign to return his remains; Maurice died in 2006, and Nadia now leads it. "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." Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen (Hebrew: , Arabic: ; 6 December 1924 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy. 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 also said she understood and respected the show. Eli Cohen, Israels most famous spy, also happened to be a hopeless romantic. 4 Min Read. For his loyalties, Hafiz grooms Thaabet to be deputy defense minister in his government. I beg my wife to forgive me, to take care of herself and our children. Syria brought hydraulic engineers and diversion equipment to actualize the scheme. Eliyahu (Eli) Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, was born in Alexandria in 1924. The Syrian project to divert water from the headwaters of the Jordan away from Israel was mentioned already in the above introduction. Spouse/Ex-: Eli Cohen (m. 1959-1965) children: Irit Cohen, Shai Cohen, Sophie Cohen Born Country: Iraq Family Members Iraqi Female Life with Eli Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. Once registered, youll receive our Daily Edition email for free. Get email notification for articles from Yossi Melman, Reproduction of an Israeli stamp being issued to honour the Mossad intelligence agency spy Eli Cohen who was hanged in Damascus. For a while, Cohen tried his hand at civilian life. Nadia Cohen: The Untold Story of the wife of Eli Cohen Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. The Syrians have consistently refused to do so. According to Scheffeldt, Cohen and al-Gamal were arrested together in 1954 and released shortly after. After Hafez became Prime Minister, Eli was even considered to be named the Syrian Deputy Minister of Defense. (Haim Zach/GPO). The purposes of that visit were to pass on intelligence and to enable him to witness the birth of his third child. He was also allowed to write a final letter to his wife. The Ba'athist coup and Eli Cohen's role. thus Israel needed an agent in Damascus (Sami Micheal, Nadia Cohen's brother was recruited. Nadia (born Nadia Majald) is an Iraqi Jew who got married to Eli on August 31, 1959. Eli Cohen was first sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to establish his cover as a Syrian emigre. In The Spy, based on the true story of Israeli agent Eli Cohen, comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen takes on a serious role, playing the title character. Eli Cohenarrived in Buenos Aires and checked into a hotel .a local teacher would get in touch with him and teach him the Spanish language. Its waters flow into the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) and south to the Dead Sea. The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel's greatest spy - San Diego Jewish World love of country, sacrifice and about his life and my life, my children." . In real life, Cohen was only able to return to Israel a few times during his mission. A year later your sister dies.in 1947 all of you arrived in Argentina. 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. Fifty-Five Years without Eli Cohen | Tuvia Book | The Blogs 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. By 1960, however, Israeli Intelligence was ready to take another look at Eli Cohen. 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. With senior staff officers acting as guides, Eli Cohen was provided an in-depth intelligence briefing of monumental proportions. They even photographed Eli on the Golan Heights, looking over into Israel, alongside the most high-ranking Syrian officers. 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. Why Mossad's Retrieval of Eli Cohen's Watch Matters - SOFREP [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. Still, Israeli Intelligence asked him to return to Syria one more time. He had three brothers. [9], Cohen continued his social life as he had in Argentina, spending time in cafes listening to political gossip. Various reports say that Biton was unveiled and offered the option of becoming a double agent. He organized several protest campaigns against the British rule. 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. Cohen accepted the calling. Despite her criticism of the series, Ben-Dor said she understood why the shows creators took artistic license with her fathers story. She smiles. For a while, Cohen tried his hand at civilian life. If I wanted something, I called, they put me through to him immediately. Because of that, perhaps he just tired of the whole charade. 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. He has reached the apex of success, and it seems that there is no door he can't open. Israeli intelligence was particularly excited about Cohen . Eli was arrested but soon released due to a lack of evidence. Eli was, however, persuaded continuously by Israeli intelligence agencies to return to Syria. 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. His widow mentioned that the watch was up for sale months earlier, and Mossad managed to capture it. His remains have yet to be returned, despite pleas from his family. His fathers name was Amin Taabet, and his mothers Saadia Ibrahim. From the creation of Israel through, the present day, Syria has been one, if not the most, implacable of Israels enemies. One of the most difficult tasks for Eli Cohen was to learn the intricate and unmistakable phonetic tune of Syrian Arabic; prior to his intelligence training, his Egyptian accent was undeniable. His trainer was an Iraqi-born Jew who had extensive experience training operatives in speaking Arabic and the traditions and Muslim customs. Show creator Gideon Raff's limited series has brought renewed attention to the life and work of Eli Cohen. In 2016, Nadia told 'Israel Radio' that former 'Mossad' chief Meir Dagan had asked the US officials to help bring Elis remains. [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. But within a month he had lost his Tel Aviv-based accountancy job. The actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a . Eli Cohenhad 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. [8], Cohen was found guilty of espionage by a military tribunal and sentenced to death under martial law. Their youngest child, Shai, was only 21 days old then. "I want to ask wasn't Eli worth the price? They had a son, Daniel, and after the Six Day War they celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She was told he would be completely safe, and she believed that until his capture in 1965. The Golan is not only important for its military significance. He wrote a last letter to his wife before he mounted the scaffold to a seething crowd. Eli Cohen was now a member of the inner circle of power. also learned to identify the type and age of tanks, aircraft, and cannons. 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.
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