8 THE JEWISH LEADER, DECEMBER 30, 2016 Eli Cohen remembered as the spy whose Text and photography by Edgar Asher, Ashernet feigned himself as being somewhat in- - toxicated and at the same time provided newed interest being shown in the exploits plenty of female hostesses for his Syrian few months ago, in Israel there was re ‘friends’. All the time he was listening who had been publicly hanged by the Syr- for military information to pass on to of Eli Cohen. Eli Cohen was an Israeli spy his handlers in the Mossad. Eli Cohen A even managed to make clandestine ian regime in 1965, in Marjeh Square in the center of Damascus,A few months after he ago, had a been short caught video spyingwas seen for ofIsrael the in the period covering the previous five years. visitsDuring back one home of toEli Israel Cohen’s between visits ‘back1961 andhome’ 1965. to Syria he was invited to go on momentsseen in public following before, the showed execution the body the Israeli of Eli Cohen,spy Eli tour in the Golan Heights, which at the Cohen in Damascus. The video, never having been time was completely in control of the the place of his execution, draped with a placard Syrian regime. During these tours he stilllisting being his displayedcrimes. Around in Marjeh the Square, public hangingexecution from lo- - cation were seen on the video hundreds of Syrians The remains of the ‘Mount Nebo Terrace’ a Syrian Army officers club cations. By now Eli Cohen had become witnessing Eli Cohen’s last moments. Later the one now situated in Kibbutz Afik on the Golan Heights. collected information on Syrian fortifi echelon and even the Syrian Minister a confident of Syria highest military minute forty-five second video cuts away and then shows Eli Cohen’s body being placed in a coffin. anti-Semitic feelings in Egypt. In 1949 Cohen’s parents ofto theDefense. Syrian He southern identified frontier markers zone for and use provided by the valuableEli Cohen, information an Israeli about hero, Syrian who military by his positions exploits anddegree three and brothers to coordinate decided Jewish to go and and Zionist live in Israel, activities. but IDF in the later Six Day War. He went several times overand intentions the previous on thefive Golan years, Heights, had given which so atmuch the Eli Cohen remained in Egypt to finish an electronics time were still in Syrian hands. Israelthe Golan with Heights details in of days bunkers rather and than mortars weeks. and Almost tank Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria on 26 Decem- In 1951 Eli Cohen was arrested by the Egyptians due- obstructions.every day he Allwould this wasradio to information enable Israel back to capture to his to his Zionistic activities. It is understood, although not Mossad handlers. officiallybecause ofverified, the increasing that Cohen anti- took Semitic part in persecution several co vertthat operationswent across to all smuggle Egyptian Jews society out of at Egypt the time. to Israel berSome 1924. of He the grew memorials up during to Elia period Cohen ofacross extreme the Golan Heights. They tell of his espionage exploits informationIn November to his 1964 handlers Eli Cohen and madeto be athis the last birth secret of Cohen was forced to leave Egypt as the harassment visithis third to Israel. child. TheHe told visit the was Mossad to pass that on he intelligence wanted to in Syria, when the area was under control of the andAt persecution the end of of1956, the Jewsfollowing had become the Suez intolerable. rises, Eli Syrians, who used to terrorize Israelis who lived terminate his assignment in Syria as he felt that his below the heights and threaten the control of the cover had been, or would be, broken. However, he rivers and streams feeding into the Sea of Galilee. Hecounterintelligence went to Italy and analyst from there in military took a boatintelligence. to Haifa. He In understanding that this would be his very last trip. Due in no small way to his intelligence gathering, 1957 Eli Cohen joined the IDF and began to work as a Israeli air and land forces captured the Golan was persuaded to go back just one more time on the Heights very quickly in the 1967 ‘Six-Day War’. the Russians, managed to identify a radio transmis- wanted to join the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence sionIn coming January from 1965, the the area Syrians, of Eli Cohen’s with the Damascus help of agency, but he was rejected and he resigned from the apartment. His cover had been blown and Syrian army. For the next two year Eli Cohen worked in a Tel security personnel broke into his apartment and Avivhad three insurance children. office. During this time he met and caught Eli Cohen in the act of transmitting informa- married,Around went this totime live the in MossadBat Yam were and lookingsubsequently for an Eli Cohen was arrested, interrogated and tortured. name came up and after a period of surveillance he tionHe was to Israel.brought to trial before a military court, found agent to infiltrate the Syrian government. Eli Cohen’s guilty and sentenced to death. Despite pleas from around the world Eli Cohen was publicly hanged in was recruited and offered special training. It was clear to the Mossad that Eli Cohen would make a first-class COHEN CONT. ON NEXT PAGE fieldSyrian agent. businessman who was returning home to Syria Marjeh Square on 18 May 1965. afterThe an Mossad extended gave period Eli Cohen in a false identity as a cover Eli Cohen moved to Argentina. To complete his ArgentinaEli Cohen inbecame 1961. known, a Kamel Amin Thaabet, as to Damascus in February well-off businessman, moved was carefully fashioning Eli 1962.Cohen’s All new along life thestory Mossad which enabled him to ingratiate - ians in both the military and himselfpolitical with world. influential Eli Cohen Syr would travel back to Bue- The Golan Heights a four-sided head mounted on nos Aires from Syria, where a huge stone obstruction against tanks. The head he held parties for visiting symbolizes that Eli Cohen needed to have his eyes Syrian businessmen and se- and ears open in all directions. nior military personnel. He .