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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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Israel’s Supreme Court Orders Improved Food for Security Prisoners
Israel’s Supreme Court. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday instructed the Prison Service (Shabas) to guarantee adequate food supplies for security prisoners, ruling that current conditions fall short of minimum legal standards. The decision followed an appeal filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In a 2–1 ruling, the court found that the food situation posed “a risk of non-compliance with legal standards.” Justice Dafna Barak-Erez stressed that the matter concerned “basic conditions necessary for survival, as required by law,” not comfort or privilege. Justice Ofer Grosskopf agreed, noting the state had not shown the policy was consistently applied to all inmates.
Justice David Mintz dissented, maintaining that the existing policy already met legal requirements.
The court underscored that Israel’s legal obligations remain binding, even in light of the ongoing hostage crisis in Gaza and the fact that many of the prisoners include Hamas members involved in the October 7, 2023 attack.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ruling, arguing that while hostages in Gaza lack protection, “terrorist murderers, kidnappers, and rapists in prison” benefit from the Court’s intervention. He added that prisoners would continue receiving only the minimum conditions required by law.
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Ukrainian Government Building Set Ablaze in Record Russian Airstrike
Illustrative. More damage caused by the Russian drone that hit the Perlina school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 30, 2024. Photo: Jewish community JCC in Kyiv, Kyiv municipality, and Yan Dobronosov
i24 News – The Ukrainian government’s main building in Kyiv was hit overnight Saturday by Russian airstrikes for the first time since the war, igniting a fire in the building, authorities said. Firefighters are working to put out the flames.
“The government building was damaged by an enemy attack — the roof and upper floors,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. The blaze is is burning in the area of the office of the prime minister.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight on Ukraine — a record number since the start of the war.
Also as a result of the strike, a baby and a young woman were killed after a nine-story residential building was hit in the Svyatoshynsky district, also in Kyiv. Rescuers are still looking for a third body, authorities said. A woman was also reported killed in the strike in Novopavlivka village.
“The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but also with actions. We need to increase sanctions pressure – primarily against Russian oil and gas. We need new restrictions that will hit the Kremlin’s military machine. And most importantly, Ukraine needs weapons. Something that will stop the terror and prevent Russia from trying to kill Ukrainians every day,” wrote Sviridenko after the attack.
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‘Trump’s Legacy Crumbles’: Israelis Call on US President to End Gaza War
Israeli protestors take part in a rally demanding the immediate release of the hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, and the end of war in Gaza, in Jerusalem September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, issuing direct appeals to US President Donald Trump to force an end to the Gaza war and secure the release of the hostages.
Protesters packed a public square outside the military headquarters, waving Israeli flags and holding placards with images of the hostages. Some carried signs, including one that read: ‘Trump’s legacy crumbles as the Gaza war persists.’
Another said: “PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAVE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
“We think that Trump is the only man in the world who has authority over Bibi, that can force Bibi to do this,” said Tel Aviv resident Boaz, 40, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
There is growing despair among many Israelis at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has ordered the military to capture a major urban center where hostages may be held.
Families of the hostages and their supporters fear the assault on Gaza City could endanger their loved ones, a concern the military leadership shares, according to Israeli officials.
Orna Neutra, the mother of an Israeli soldier who was killed on October 7, 2023 and whose body is being held in Gaza by militants, accused the government of abandoning its citizens.
“We truly hope that the United States will push both sides to finally reach a comprehensive deal that will bring them home,” she told the rally. Her son, Omer, is also American.
Tel Aviv has witnessed weekly demonstrations that have grown in size, with protesters demanding that the government secure a ceasefire with Hamas to obtain the release of hostages. Organizers said Saturday night’s rally was attended by tens of thousands. A large demonstration was also held in Jerusalem.
There are 48 hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials believe that around 20 are still alive. Palestinian terrorists abducted 251 people from Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led its attack. Most of the hostages who have been released were freed after indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
NO PURPOSE
Trump had pledged a swift end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign, but nearly eight months into his second term, a resolution has remained elusive. On Friday, he said that Washington was engaged in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas.
Israeli forces have carried out heavy strikes on the suburbs of Gaza City, where, according to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing famine. Israeli officials acknowledge that hunger exists in Gaza but deny that the territory is facing famine. On Saturday, the military warned civilians in Gaza City to leave and move to southern Gaza.
There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in the city that was home to around a million before the war.
A video released by Hamas on Friday featured Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, saying that he was being held in Gaza City and feared being killed by the military’s assault on the city. Rights groups have condemned such videos of hostages as inhumane. Israel says that it is psychological warfare.
The war has become unpopular among some segments of Israeli society, and opinion polls show that most Israelis want Netanyahu’s right-wing government to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas that secures the release of the hostages.
“The war has no purpose at all, except for violence and death,” said Boaz from Tel Aviv. Adam, 48, said it had become obvious that soldiers were being sent to war for “nothing.”
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since it launched its retaliatory war after Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza in October 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack on southern Israel.
The terrorist group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but today controls only parts of the enclave, on Saturday once again said that it would release all hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering.
The prime minister has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and capturing it is necessary to defeat the Palestinian militant group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel led to the war.
Hamas has acknowledged it would no longer govern Gaza once the war ends but has refused to discuss laying down its weapons.