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The Legacy of Eli Cohen — and Implications for Israel-Syria Relations Today
Venerated Israeli spy Eli Cohen.
In the aftermath of President Trump’s meeting with Syria’s President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, as of this writing, there are rumors of the imminent return of Israeli hero Eli Cohen’s remains — close to the day of his execution 60 years ago.
The story of Eli Cohen’s life deserves to be remembered — even if he had never gone undercover in Syria.
When Eli Cohen was publicly executed by the Syrian government on May 18, 1965, it was already clear to both Israelis and Syrians that he had succeeded in befriending the Syrian president and had penetrated the highest levels of the Syrian regime. What was not yet known, however, was that he had gathered the intelligence that would later help save the State of Israel from destruction.
Perhaps more than any other individual, Eli Cohen — an Egyptian-born Jew — earned the Mossad its reputation as one of the world’s most formidable intelligence services. His work paved the way for Israel’s success on the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War in June 1967.
As a young man in Cairo, Cohen was deeply moved by the 1944 trial of two members of the Stern Group (LEHI), Eliahu Bet-Zouri and Eliahu Hakim. These two had assassinated the antisemitic British High Commissioner for the Middle East, Lord Moyne.
Cohen helped organize demonstrations in support of Bet-Zouri and Hakim. Though the protests proved fruitless — the men were hanged — on the scaffold, they maintained their dignity and sang the Zionist anthem, Hatikvah. It is said that Cohen later drew strength from their example as he, too, faced execution.
Cohen played a key role in establishing an “underground railroad” that smuggled Egyptian Jews to Israel. In the early 1950s, he was recruited by the Mossad to help monitor ex-Nazi scientists working for Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser on rocket development. Cohen reportedly also took part in sabotage operations.
After this Mossad network was exposed and many members were arrested, Cohen moved to Israel in 1956. Following a brief adjustment period and service in the Israel Defense Forces, Cohen was offered a role as an intelligence analyst for the Mossad.
Eventually, he was approved for field duty.
Assuming the identity of Kamal Amin Taabet, a wealthy Arab merchant who had emigrated to Argentina and then returned to Syria, Cohen infiltrated the highest echelons of Damascus society. He joined the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, and became close with many of its rising leaders.
After the Ba’ath Party came to power in a coup, many of Cohen’s acquaintances became high-ranking government and military officials, including intelligence chief Colonel Ahmad Suweidani and President Amin al-Hafiz.
As Taabet, Cohen was one of the few civilians ever permitted to tour Syrian military installations on the Golan Heights. He transmitted photographs and sketches of the entire Syrian front to the Mossad. In one instance, he even alerted Israel to an imminent attempt by Syrian commandos to cross the border.
Beyond intelligence gathering, Cohen was tasked with assassinating escaped Nazi war criminal Franz Rademacher, then living in a Syrian colony of former Nazis. That 1962 attempt failed. Cohen also participated in efforts to target Alois Brunner, Adolf Eichmann’s top aide, who had also found sanctuary in Syria. This dark chapter of Syrian history deserves renewed attention: even before the rise of the Assad regime, Syria’s government hated Jews enough to shelter Nazi war criminals. The famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal called Brunner “doubtless the worst … living criminal of the Third Reich” in 1988.
Cohen was ultimately discovered by chance, when his radio transmissions were detected by Soviet KGB agents operating in Damascus. At the time, he was reportedly being considered for a senior government post.
After two trials, Cohen was sentenced to death by hanging. He was 40 years old. He left behind a widow, three daughters, and a son. In his final letter to his wife, he wrote: “I beg of you not to waste time crying for me. Always think of the future.”
Cohen also left behind a warning to Israel’s future leaders: “Against the Arab you mustn’t defend yourself. You must attack.”
Cohen gave his life to ensure that the Syrian threat from the Golan could be neutralized.
Israel is now facing criticism for its continued presence on Mount Hermon, the highest strategic point in the Golan, since the IDF’s deployment there in December. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated in February 2025 that the IDF would remain in the area “for an indefinite period of time to protect our communities and thwart any threat.”
Katz is correct.
Future threats are not hypothetical.
There’s no way to know how long the fragile interim government of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa will remain in power — let alone whether it will return to peace negotiations or collapse into chaos.
Let’s remember: the only thing that stood between Israel and Hafez al-Assad’s chemical weapons was the Golan Heights. The same remained true for his son, the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad. Had Israel caved to international pressure, the Assads would have seized the Golan — and their weapons, including poison gas, would be aimed at the families of Israel’s Galilee, Jews and Arabs alike.
The Israeli government owes it to Eli Cohen not only to bring his remains home for reburial, but also to maintain a vigilant posture to limit threats from Syria — now and in the future.
The post The Legacy of Eli Cohen — and Implications for Israel-Syria Relations Today first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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New Poll: Majority of NYC Voters ‘Less Likely’ to Support Mamdani Over His Refusal to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’
Zohran Mamdani. Photo: Ron Adar / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
In a warning sign for the campaign of Democratic nominee for mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani, a majority of city voters in a new poll say the candidate’s hardline anti-Israel stance makes them less likely to vote for him.
In the survey of likely city voters conducted by American Pulse, 52.5 percent said Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada” coupled with his backing of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement made them less likely to vote for him in November. Just 31% of city voters polled were more likely to support him because of these positions.
At the same time, a significant share of young New York City voters support Mamdani’s anti-Israel positioning, a striking sign of shifting generational views on Israel and the Palestinian cause.
Nearly half of voters aged 18 to 44 (46 percent) said the State Assembly member’s backing for BDS and “refusal to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’” made them more likely to support him.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist from Queens, has been under fire for defending “globalize the intifada,” a slogan many Jewish groups associate with incitement to violence against Israel and Jews. While critics argue it glorifies terrorism, supporters claim it’s a call for international solidarity with oppressed peoples, especially Palestinians. Mamdani has also voiced support for BDS, a movement widely condemned by mainstream Jewish organizations as antisemitic for singling out Israel.
The generational divide exposed by the poll comes amid a broader political realignment. Younger progressives across the country are increasingly critical of Israeli policies, especially in the wake of the Gaza war, and more receptive to Palestinian activism. But to many Jewish leaders, Mamdani’s rising support is alarming.
Rabbi David Wolpe, visiting scholar at Harvard University, condemned the phrase with a sarcastic analogy.
“‘Globalize the intifada’ is just a political slogan,” he said. “Like ‘The cockroaches must be exterminated’ was just a housing authority slogan in Rwanda.”
Jewish organizations have reported a surge in antisemitic incidents in New York and across the U.S. since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last fall. The blending of anti-Zionist slogans with calls for “intifada,” historically linked to violent uprisings, has deepened fears among Jewish communities that traditional red lines are being crossed.
Whether this emerging coalition reshapes New York politics remains to be seen. However, the poll indicates that among younger voters, views that were once considered fringe are quickly moving into the mainstream.
The post New Poll: Majority of NYC Voters ‘Less Likely’ to Support Mamdani Over His Refusal to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Jews Targeted at June’s Pride Month Events
A Jewish gay pride flag. Photo: Twitter.
The research division of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) released a report on Wednesday detailing incidents of hate against Jews which took place last month during demonstrations in celebration of LGBTQ rights and identity.
Incidents reported by the group include:
- At a Pride march in Wales, the activists Cymru Queers for Palestine chose to block the path and show a sign that said “Profiting from genocide,” an attempt to link the event’s sponsors — such as Amazon — to the war in Gaza.
- A Dublin Pride march saw the participation of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which labeled Israel a “genocidal entity.”
- In Toronto at a late June Pride march, demonstrators again attacked organizers with a sign declaring, “Pride partners with genocide.”
CAM also identified a recurring narrative deployed against Israel by some far-left activists: so-called “pinkwashing,” a term which the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement calls “an Israeli government propaganda strategy that cynically exploits LGBTQIA+ rights to project a progressive image while concealing Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies oppressing Palestinians.”
The report notes that at a Washington DC Pride event in early June Medea Benjamin, cofounder of activist group Code Pink and a regular of anti-war protests, wore a pair of goofy, oversized sunglasses and a shirt in her signature pink with the phrase “you can’t pinkwash genocide.”
Other incidents CAM recorded showed the injection of anti-Israel sentiment into Pride events.
A musical group canceled a performance at an interfaith service in Brooklyn, claiming the hosting synagogue had a “public alignment with pro-Israel political positions.” In San Francisco before the yearly Trans March, a Palestine group said in its announcement of its participation, “Stop the war on Iran and the genocide of Palestine, stop the war on immigrants and attacks on trans people.”
CAM notes that this “queers for Palestine” sentiment is not new, pointing to a 2017 event wherein “organizers of the Chicago Dyke March infamously removed participants who were waving a Pride flag adorned with a Star of David on the grounds that the symbol ‘made people feel unsafe.’”
In February, the Israel Defense Forces shared with the New York Post documents it had recovered demonstrating that Hamas had tortured and executed members it suspected of homosexuality and other moral offenses in conflict with Islamist ideology.
Amit Benjamin, who is gay and a first sergeant major in the IDF, said during a visit to New York City for Pride month that “All the ‘queers for Gaza’ need to open their eyes. Hamas kills gays … kills lesbians … queers cannot exist in Gaza.”
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IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
“An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,” the IAEA said on X.
Diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors’ safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“[Grossi] reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible,” the IAEA said.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful, but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb.
As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries’ declarations. But the bombing of Iran’s facilities has now muddied the waters.
“We cannot afford that … the inspection regime is interrupted,” Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.
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