Born in Alexandria, Egypt, he was an
outstanding student and an Egyptian patriot, working for the Egyptian
nationalist movement. He began to study electricity at Farouk University in
Alexandria, but had to leave with other Jewish students following the
establishment of the State of Israel. Cohen became involved in underground
Zionist activities and was imprisoned by the Egyptians and then expelled from
Egypt. After going to Israel in 1957 he joined the Mossad and was sent to Syria
to infiltrate the higher ranks. His cover was so successful in Damascus that he
was even proposed as a cabinet minister. All the time he was relaying crucial
military information back to Israel. In 1965 he was apprehended by new tracking
equipment which detected his illicit transmitter and a search of his room
revealed a photography laboratory. Initially the Syrians thought he was an Arab
but under torture he revealed his identity. He was publicly hanged in Damascus.
Bibliography:
BEN-HANAN,
Eli. Our man in Damascus. Pp. 191, illus. [Tel-Aviv] A.D.M. Pub. House [1968]
ALDOUBY, Zwy. The shattered silence; the
Eli Cohen affair. Pp. x, 453,
illus. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan [1971]
MERCIER, Jacques. Eli Cohen: le combattant de
Damas.
Pp. 319, [3], [8], ill. Paris: R. Laffont, c1982
Links:
Inside the Israeli Secret Service: Eli Cohen - by Doron Geller
Eli Cohen - Official Site
Eli Cohen (in
Hebrew)
Eli
Cohen - Hero of Israel
Eli Cohen - The Jewish Agency for Israel
