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- 22 nov 2010
'The Mossad may have been involved in death of German politician'
BURLIN, (PIC)-- A newspaper in Germany proposed that the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence, may have been responsible for the death of former German minister Uwe Barschel in 1987. http://bit.ly/b9dIAk
The former Christian Democrat in Schleswig-Holstein was found dead in a bath of cold water in a Geneva hotel on October 11, 1987. Official investigations did not clarify whether he was murdered or committed suicide.
Barschel earlier threatened to go public about an illegal military aircraft sale by Israel to Iran.
Former Mossad agent Viktor Ostrovsky spoke in detail in a book he published in 1994 on a hit operation against Barschel.
Research conducted by Swiss toxicologist Dr Hans Brandenberger after reopening the case showed a shocking match with the scenario described by Ostrovsky.
The chemical results indicate a murder, he said.
Due to the complexity of the murder scene, a professional team that was at work, not a single person.
Brandenberger learned about Ostrovsky's account of the incident after offering his analysis to the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
http://bit.ly/dml4KI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4AhxG2Wo90 -
Maria 23 nov 2010
Netanyahu to name new Mossad chief 'in next few days'
Meir Dagan
PM to appoint replacement for veteran spymaster Meir Dagan, due to step down at the end of the year.
The race to lead the Mossad began in earnest on Tuesday as the Prime Minister's Office announced it would name a replacement for current spy chief Meir Dagan in the coming days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the week came under media fire as some commentators accused him of stalling over the appointment, with time running out before Dagan's term expires at the end of the year.
"The prime minister has been carrying out consultations and plans to announce his decision in the next few days," Netanyahu's bureau said in a statement.
Intense speculation has thrown up several names as possible candidates: Amos Yadlin, who this week completed his term as head of military intelligence, is thought a frontrunner, as is Yuval Diskin, due to step down as head of the Shin Bet security service in May.
Another contender is Dagan's former deputy and head of operations, known to the public only as 'T'. A long-serving Mossad offer, T recently left the organization on sabbatical but resigned on his return when Dagan would refuse to designate him as his successor.
Early in his career, T served as the Mossad's liaison with the Israel Defense Forces' elite Sayaret Matkal commando unit, where he was a close confidant of Netanyahu's brother Jonathan, who commanded the force until he was killed in Israel's raid on a hijacked airliner at Entebbe in Uganda in 1976.
A fourth name to surface is Hagai Hadas, previously Dagan's number three and now Netanyahu's representative in negotiations to free Gilad Shalit, a soldier captured by Hamas militants in 2006.
Netanayhu is believed to be concerned that if a new Mossad chief is appointed from outside the service, several departmental heads could resign, and has recently held meetings with them in an apparent attempt to convince them to stay.
http://bit.ly/fd9NgC 29 nov 2010, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria
24 nov 2010
Israel rejects speculation that Mossad killed German politician
TEL AVIV, Israel (DPA) -- Israel rejected Monday a claim by a retired Swiss chemistry professor that the murder of a German politician 23 years ago had the hallmarks of a Mossad assassination.
Uwe Barschel, premier of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, was found dead in a Geneva hotel room in 1987. The cause of death was on overdose of a sleeping drug. His family has never accepted the view of most pathologists that Barschel, 43, committed suicide.
The professor, Hans Brandenberger, revived on Sunday his longtime contention, based on tissue analysis, that Barschel was incapable of deliberate action at the time when the drug, cyclobarbital, and a hypnotic substance, noludar, entered his body.
Brandenberger said he spoke out after his retirement gave him the leisure to read for the first time a 1994 book, The Other Side of the Deception, by US-based author Victor Ostrovsky, who claims to be a former Mossad agent.
The book suggests Mossad killed Barschel at the hotel with drugs and made the death look like suicide.
In an article published Sunday in the newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Brandenberger, 89, said his tissue findings fitted "astonishingly well" with the method of secret assassination described in the book.
Yigal Palmor, Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman, rejected the speculation.
"There's no basis on which one could connect Israel to this case, he said in Jerusalem. Asked if Germany should re-open its own inquiry, he said, "It's not up to us to tell the German authorities what they should do or not do."
Welt am Sonntag quoted those Germans who believe Barschel was murdered as calling for a fresh inquiry.
Ostrovsky's 1994 book claimed Barschel was killed because he knew about alleged Israeli arms sales to Iran.
Israeli spokesman Palmor said Ostrovsky was not a credible author.
"Half of what he says is lies, and the other half is invented, Palmor said.
Swiss prosecutors have always rejected Brandenberger's urging to treat Barschel's death as a murder.
The suicide thesis is that Barschel drank a lethal cocktail of sedatives in the wake of an unsavory political scandal in his state which culminated in his resigning as premier nine days before his death.
Brandenberger's thesis is that a murderer gave Barschel a tasteless "knock-out" drug in a glass of wine to make him compliant, then forced him an hour later to swallow the lethal overdose.
The Swiss professor argues that the timeline can be proved from the varying concentrations of the drugs in different organs.
But no suspects were ever seen in Geneva, and no other evidence for murder was ever found.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=335443 29 nov 2010, 11:33 , Respect -
Maria 26 nov 2010
Official: Mossad behind Egypt riots
Following confrontations in Cairo between Christian Copts and Muslims, chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee in Egypt's People's Assembly says Israel 'wants to undermine security and stability in country'
Who's responsible for this week's riots in Egypt, which left one man killed and dozens injured? Chairman of the Egypt People's Assembly' Foreign Affairs Committee Dr. Dr Mostafa El Feki on Thursday accused the Israeli Mossad of being behind the recent riots between Christian Copts and Muslims.
Recently there have been a number of incidents between the Copts and the Muslims, which forced the involvement of Egyptian security forces.
One man was killed and dozens were injured on Wednesday in confrontations between the Copts and security forces in the Giza area of Cairo after he local governor revoked a construction permit for a building adjacent to the church which was meant to serve the community's needs.
At a conference in Ain Shams University El Feki said, "It is very clear that Western fingers are disrupting our nation's capabilities and taking advantage of the election period to carry out their plans, to agitate the security and stability in Egypt.
"It is almost certain that the Mossad is involved in these events. The State is dealing with dangerous events that could not have succeeded without external intervention with Israel at its head."
Christian Copts make up ten percent of Egypt's population of 79 million. They claim that the Egyptian regime discriminates against them and harasses them over their religious beliefs. They are protesting the fact that unlike the Muslims, they must request permission to construct any community buildings, whereas the Muslims are allowed to build freely.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3990229,00.html 29 nov 2010, 11:35 , Respect -
Maria 28 nov 2010
Wikileaks: Dagan says peace process will achieve nothing
Mossad chief also says Moroccan king not interested in governing, al-Jazeera may cause war in Middle East, calls Qatar emir annoying.
Nothing will be achieved in the peace process with the Palestinian Authority, Mossad Director Meir Dagan told a top American diplomat in the summer of 2007, according to a secret cable sent by the US embassy in Tel Aviv to the State Department.
During a two hour meeting with Frances Fragos Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Dagan, who is believed to be hawkish but whose opinions on diplomatic affairs are not publicly known in Israel, reportedly said that a completely new approach to the peace process was required without elaborating.
According to the cable, leaked by Wikileaks on Sunday, Dagan told Townsend that IDF operations against Hamas in the West Bank were preventing the terror group from taking over the Fatah-controlled territory. If Hamas took over in the West Bank, Dagan said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas would likely move to Qatar and join his "mysteriously wealthy" son there.
Moving to Iran, Dagan was strangely optimistic the cable said that sanctions could have an effect. Dagan said during the meeting that Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States all fear Iran, but want someone else "to do the job for them."
Dagan specifically accused Saudi Foreign Minister Saud bin Faysal of playing a "very negative role and characterized Qatar as "a real problem," accusing the leader Sheikh Hamid of "annoying everyone." He then told Townsend that in his view, the US should pull its bases out of the country. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is based in Qatar.
"I think you should remove your bases from there...seriously," said Dagan. "They have confidence only because of the US presence," Dagan predicted adding that al-Jazeera could be the next cause of war in the Middle East since Arab leaders specifically in Saudi Arabia hold Sheikh Hamid personally responsible for the cable station's so-called provocations.
Dagan was particularly harsh with Moroccan King Mohammed who he said had little interest in governing his country. He urged the US to keep Pakistani president at the time Pervez Musharaf in office, citing a Pakistan ruled by radical Islamists with a nuclear arsenal at their disposal as his biggest nightmare.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=197119
Dagan urged more attention on regime change, asserting that more could be done to develop the identities of ethnic minorities in Iran. He said he was sure that Israel and the U.S. could "change the ruling regime in Iran, and its attitude towards backing terror regimes." He added, "We could also get them to delay their nuclear project. Iran could become a normal state." More: http://bit.ly/hyopld 5 dec 2010, 10:33 , Respect -
Maria 29 nov 2010
Mossad Chief Candidate Identified
Israel places a gag on reporting the names of any members of its intelligence services except the chiefs.
Even former officers are proscribed from exposure. In the coming days, Bibi Netanyahu has promised to name the new Mossad chief who will assume the reins from Meir Dagan, who is retiring after eight years in the job.
Of all the candidates, the names of all but one are publicly known. But one, because is a former senior Mossad officer, is not. That individual is Tamir Pardo, currently known as T. to the Israeli media.
Despite this prohibition, Channel 10's military reporter did name Pardo in a June tweet. This only shows that the military censor isn't paying very close attention (yet) to Twitter as a source for exposing Israel's secrets.
It was quite easy for my Israeli source (and many other Israeli journalists) to piece together the reporting that has been done and find Pardo's name published clear as day in a Hebrew language book about the Entebbe raid (accompanying image from Google Books), in which he participated under the command of Yoni Netanyahu, Bibi's older brother. Pardo was communications officer for the raid and this certainly creates a potential bond between PM and candidate.
He rose rapidly through the ranks from a technical specialist in the research division founded by Uzi Arad, to trusted operative. Pardo expected to be named assistant director by Dagan. Instead, the latter promoted another candidate, N., to that position and Dagan lent Pardo to the IDF as a senior operations advisor to the chief of staff.
In 2007, N. had a falling out with Dagan (who was known for driving away subordinates) and resigned immediately. Dagan called Pardo back from his IDF position and appointed him to the number 2 job. The latter returned in the hope, once again, that he would be named to replace the current chief when he retired. But Dagan once again disappointed and accepted a job extension that offered an almost unprecedented eighth year of service. Finally, Pardo quit the Mossad entirely and went into private industry. Rumors have it that the former intelligence officer developed business interests with Israeli internet gambling entrepreneur Noam Lanir.
One development that may dim Pardo's chances for the job is that he apparently knew beforehand about the infamous forged Galant memo which was intended to embarrass Defense Minister Ehud Barak and frustrate Yoav Galant's candidacy to be IDF chief of staff.
As I've said before here, I don't believe that as important a job as this one should be handed to someone about whom the average Israeli knows next to nothing, including his name. Let's stand for transparency and vetting a man fully before he ascends to such a powerful position. The more you know, the less unpleasant surprises there will be. Since we know very little, the chances of this happening during a Pardo tenure of Mossad chief are quite high.
The name Pardo is of Spanish origin (A family deriving its name from Prado in Castile), which means that our candidate may be Sephardic. If so, he may be the first Sephardi named to such a position.
NOTE: Rotter, which has rarely ever censored any scoop I've published has deleted the thread that linked to this post. Do they realize that Pardo's name has already been published on Twitter? It's really a shame because Rotter has a reputation for being a freewheeling forum when it comes to publishing such scoops. So much for democracy and free speech in the Only Democracy in the Middle East.
http://bit.ly/ev7BIs
Netanyahu taps Tamir Pardo as new Mossad chief
Tamir Pardo, left, with Major General (res.) Uzi Dayan
Former deputy chief of spy agency was member of elite IDF commando unit, will replace Meir Dagan after eight-year tenure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday named Mossad veteran Tamir Pardo as his choice as the new head of Israel's spy agency, to succeed Meir Dagan.
Pardo served in senior positions in the Mossad for many years, as well as in various operative units. He left the agency in 2009, before which he served as deputy Mossad chief.
Pardo's appointment is still pending the approval of the committee which okays appointments to senior positions in the public service.
In a statement issued Monday, Netanyahu praised Pardo's rich experience in the Mossad, and said he was certain that Pardo was the right man to lead the organization.
Netanyahu also expressed his appreciation of outgoing Mossad chief Meir Dagan and his contribution to Israel's security.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the former head of the IDF and fellow member of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, also called Pardo on Monday to congratulate him on his apppointment.
"I have known Pardo for many years, from different operations in which we worked together," Barak said. "Pardo is a highly experienced professional, and is very suitable for the position of Mossad chief."
Barak also commended Dagan for his eight-year term as head of the Mossad. "The citizens of Israel owe many thanks to Meir Dagan," he said.
Pardo also served in Sayeret Matkal with Netanyahu's older brother, the late Yoni Netanyahu, and is a close friend of the prime minister's family.
In a statement issued Monday, Netanyahu praised Pardo's rich experience in the Mossad, and said he was certain that Pardo was the right man to lead the organization.
Netanyahu also expressed his appreciation of outgoing Mossad chief Meir Dagan and his contribution to Israel's security.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the former head of the IDF and fellow member of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, also called Pardo on Monday to congratulate him on his apppointment.
"I have known Pardo for many years, from different operations in which we worked together," Barak said. "Pardo is a highly experienced professional, and is very suitable for the position of Mossad chief."
Barak also commended Dagan for his eight-year term as head of the Mossad. "The citizens of Israel owe many thanks to Meir Dagan," he said.
Pardo also served in Sayeret Matkal with Netanyahu's older brother, the late Yoni Netanyahu, and is a close friend of the prime minister's family.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/netanyahu-taps-tamir-pardo-as-new-mossad-chief-1.327677
Mossad chief's secret remarks
Wikileaks documents reveal classified details of meetings between Israeli, US officials, including remarks and information provided by Mossad chief, Livni's 2007 skepticism over prospects of deal with Abbas.
WikiLeaks sheds light on Israel-US ties: Some 20 cables sent by the American embassy in Tel Aviv between 2005 and the end of 2009 were exposed by WikiLeaks Sunday, revealing secret correspondence between US officials and Israel's prime minister, Mossad chief and others.
The earliest cable from 2005 recounted a meeting between former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer and Mossad Director Meir Dagan that detailed the spy agency's activities in Iraq.
Later documents describe meetings between Dagan and other American officials. On April 19, 2007 Dagan warned that Russia was playing an "extremely negative role" in the region. Other correspondence includes meetings between Benjamin Netanyahu first as opposition leader and later as prime minister and US President Barack Obama.
According the published documents, Netanyahu claimed that the three main threats concerning Israel were the Iranian nuclear program, rockets obtained by Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria, and the Goldstone Report. He explained that the report granted legitimization to those who seek to harm Israel.
'Bad feeling'
Former Ambassador Richard Jones
In one of the meetings held toward the end of 2009 between Israeli officials and Assistant Secretary of State Andro Shapiro, the Israelis claimed they had "a bad feeling" about Turkey, and expressed concern over the close ties the Turkish government was developing with Syria and Iran, while distancing itself from Israel.
The officials further claimed that Turkey expressed its support for the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and was adopting a more "Islamic" stance in an effort to become a regional power.
In another meeting held that month, Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Ministry of Defense Amos Gilad predicted the political demise of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by 2011.
Livni s skepticism
Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert
Elsewhere, a document drafted by former US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones in January 2007, on the eve of the Winograd Report's publication, the envoy provided an in-depth assessment of the atmosphere in Israel at the time.
In the report, Jones wrote about a sense of political failure in Israel, despite the strong economy and success in combating suicide attacks. Israel's leadership is facing a confidence crisis on the part of the public, he wrote, adding that Winograd's preliminary conclusions may determine the fate of Israel's top political brass.
The ambassador also referred to then-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, recounting a meeting between her and Senator John Kerry where she expressed skepticism over the possibility of securing a peace agreement with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Turning his attention to the Iranian threat, Jones wrote that the issue continues to cause anxiety in Israel, with many Israelis taking Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats to wipe the county off the map seriously. Israeli analysts estimate that an Iranian nuclear bomb would undermine Israel's ability to survive in the long term, he wrote, adding that some Israelis are openly speaking about not wishing to see their children and grandchildren growing up in an Israel threatened by a nuclear Iran.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3991260,00.html
WikiLeaks: Arab world according to Mossad chief
WikiLeaks documents contain reports of 2007 meetings in which Meir Dagan presented US with five-step program to perform coup in Iran; said 'nothing can be achieved' with Palestinians, denied plans to attack Syrian nuclear site.
Mossad chief Meir Dagan presented the United States with a five-step program to perform a coup in Iran in August 2007, one of the documents revealed by the WikiLeaks website indicates. The papers also suggest that two months prior to Israel's attack on a Syrian nuclear facility in 2007, the Mossad chief told the US homeland security advisor that Israel has no plans to attack.
In a meeting with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns Dagan said that Israel and the US have different timetables regarding Iran's ability to achieve nuclear abilities. He noted that the Mossad is taking into consideration the Iranian regime's determination to succeed.
The Mossad chief claimed in the meeting there was time to solve the Iranian nuclear crisis but stressed that the Islamic Republic is putting great effort into obtaining nuclear abilities.
He presented a five-step program against Iran:
1. Political approach: Dagan praised efforts to bring Iran before the Security Council and the decision to hold another round of sanctions, but stressed that this approach alone was not sufficient. He stressed that the timetable for political action against Iran was different that the nuclear project's timetable.
2. Secret steps: Dagan and Burns agreed not to discuss this approach in the wider forum of the discussion.
3. Nuclear proliferation: Dagan stressed the need to prevent the transfer of knowledge and technology to Iran and said more can be done on the matter.
4. Sanctions: Dagan stated that three Iranian banks were on the verge of collapse and that the economic sanctions had national effect. He claimed the Iranian regime has difficulty handling the banks.
5. Regime change: Dagan said more should be done to change the regime, and raised the possibility of recruiting democratic student and ethnic movements as well as dissidents to this end.
During the meeting Dagan criticized what he referred to as Russia's negative involvement in the region.
'Satisfied with sanctions'
In a secret document from July 13, 2007 the US Embassy in Israel reported of a meeting between Dagan and then-Homeland Security Advisor Frances Fragos Townsend. In the meeting the two expressed satisfaction over the economic sanctions on Iran. Dagan noted that the UN sanctions caught the Iranians off guard and had a significant effect in putting more pressure on the regime.
Dagan noted that the Iranian regime was falsely claiming it managed to solve the uranium enrichment procedure. He noted Russia's growing aversion of Iran and its nuclear program and said the Iranian were shocked to discover Russia blamed them of endorsing terror against the US.
Referring to disagreements in the Iranian government, he said there was no ideological disagreement on the annihilation of Israel, which everyone endorsed, but said there was growing variance on the tactic that should be employed. He noted that while some supported revenge actions against the West others championed a more moderate approach.
The Mossad chief also noted that Israel was not alone in its concerns over Iran and pointed to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states which he said "expected someone else to do the job for them."
Dagan also criticized the conduct of some of the Gulf leaders which created difficulties in handling Iran. He described Qatar as a "real problem" and said it was trying to please everyone Syria, Iran and Hamas while also trying to achieve a measure of independence. He advised the US to remove bases from the country.
WikiLeaks documents also suggest that Dagan denied plans to attack a Syrian nuclear facility. In his 2007 meeting with Townsend, which took place two months before the Israeli attack on Dir al-Zur, Dagan said that Israel has no plans to attack Damascus. He stated that Syria is expecting a summer attack and has raised its alertness level. The Mossad chief noted that while such an operation was not being planned, Syria was likely to respond to any little incident which could result in a regional escalation.
'Peace talks will fail'
Dagan also expressed pessimism regarding peace talks with the Palestinians. He said that nothing can be achieved, despite a decade of trying to reach a full-status agreement. The Mossad chief claimed that only Israel's military actions against Hamas in the West Bank prevented it from expanding its control outside Gaza and that without it Fatah would have fallen within a month.
As for Syria, Dagan said that Damascus's strategic alliance with Tehran and Hezbollah had not changed and that Assad believes it is proving successful. He noted that only by enforcing UN resolutions on Lebanon and increasing efforts to disarm Hezbollah, could the international community separate Iran and Syria.
Enforcing such resolutions would add pressure on Assad who fears being tried for former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's murder, Dagan stated.
The Mossad chief also expressed concern over the disintegration of Turkey's secular nature and warned that in time the country could radicalize further. He claimed that had the Turkish army received additional direct aid from the US it would have been better able to prevent the rise of the Islamists.
Mossad activity in Iraq
A secret cable from March 17, 2005 reveals a side of the Mossad's activity in Iraq. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer reported that Dagan told him that Israel has proof that foreign fighters returned home from Iraq, which possibly indicates that the US's war against the guerilla fighters was succeeding. Nevertheless, he expressed concern that the fighters' homelands such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria will not be able to control the them. They were capable of threatening stability in the region, he said.
Dagan also noted that Israel has friendly relations with the Kurds in Iraq.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3991210,00.html 5 dec 2010, 10:34 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2010
The Mossad's new mission: Mideast peace
Tamir Pardo, the next Mossad chief.
The main problem at the Mossad is that its activity is mainly focused on dangers, both real and imagined, rather than opportunities.
Dr. Uzi Arad was one of the most outstanding professors I had during my university studies. Those were the days at the beginning of the 1970s on the Tel Aviv University campus. At the basement snack bar in the Naftali Building, romances blossomed. The mayor's wife presided over the ground-floor library with a heavy hand. And on one of the upper floors, Arad gave a course on international oil policy. We became friendly in the way a student becomes friendly with a professor, and then Arad tried to recruit me to his second workplace. Young and innocent as I was, I didn't see anything improper in the fact that Israeli academia was also serving as a recruitment agency
I was summoned to the admissions committee at the Hadar Dafna building in Tel Aviv, which then served as the headquarters of Israel's espionage agency. Several solemn-faced men sat behind a table covered with green felt and asked me questions, which I have almost totally forgotten. They must have asked me about my ability to endear myself, about people in general, about the languages I am fluent in, and they may have steered me to become a spy. I have no idea why my recruiter, Arad, picked me. Did he think I would be an anonymous assassin, tennis racket in hand, or a secret agent, a pipe in my mouth? One way or another, I never heard from them again. That's the story of how I wasn't accepted by the Mossad.
How would my life have been different had I been accepted is of course difficult to know. Maybe I would have been the head of the assassination department's bayonet unit. Meanwhile, last week, someone my age, Tamir Pardo, was appointed head of the Mossad. He is being handed an organization that is both esteemed and mysterious, but to no less an extent, also afflicted with serious problems. From a man who is portrayed at the door of his house as a nice guy who watches soccer, we have to hope that he will know how to nudge the Mossad in different directions from those in which it has been taken up to now.
We know very little, perhaps too little, about the most famous Israeli organization in the world, whose name has always been whispered with a mix of dread and admiration. But we know it has its hand in everything. Secret cable number 2652, which was sent from the American embassy in Tel Aviv and released on the WikiLeaks website, provides details, for example, about a conversation the head of the Mossad, Meir Dagan, had with an American under-secretary of state. They discussed developments from Pakistan to Iran, as the representatives of two great powers, but the primary aspect of the website's disclosures related to Mossad assassinations. From the attempt on Hamas figure Khaled Meshal to the assassination in Dubai, attributed to the Mossad by foreign sources, of Hamas' Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
These are dubious successes. The failure was actually in the method chosen. Even if Meshal had died and even if Mabhhouh's assassins had not been caught on camera, what value is there in these operations, apart from Hollywood-type glory? Usually they just encourage successors who are worse and give a country that has assassination units like these a problematic reputation.
But from the little we know, the main problem at the Mossad is that its activity is mainly focused on dangers, both real and imagined, rather than opportunities. The Arab world for the most part is crying out for a peace agreement with Israel, to be based first and foremost on a settlement with the Palestinians.
Indeed, from WikiLeaks documents, the Arab world appears very troubled by Iran; more than a few Arab leaders view a solution to the Palestinian problem as a means of weakening Iran's influence. There is a not inconsiderable number of forces in the Arab world that are willing to accept Israel as a neighbor, and Israel is outrageously wasting this prospect. This is partly the Mossad's doing. It actually should have worked to pursue these opportunities, even if they involved less hush-hush mysteriousness and glory of the moment.
With its sophisticated methods, the Mossad can not only collect intelligence about prospects for war, but also prospects for peace. With its complex ties with various and sundry countries, it's possible to take advantage not only of another chance to thwart and kill or another attempt to assist a revolution in some shadowy location. Instead it should actually be attempting a revolution here, a revolution in thinking. So that not everything has to be accomplished by force or thuggery and sowing fear. Addressing the Arab League's peace initiative is no less essential than bombing Iran. There are other ways of doing things, even in the Middle East.
I wasn't accepted by the Mossad, and that's good (for everyone ), but now, from afar, it's possible to expect another kind of Mossad.
Gideon Levy
http://bit.ly/gc1h9i 25 dec 2010, 11:20 , Respect -
Maria 24 dec 2010
WikiLeaks to 'prove' Mossad behind Dubai murder
DUBAI (AFP) -- Dubai's police chief said WikiLeaks will confirm his charge that Israel's Mossad secret service was behind the Jan. 20 murder of a Hamas commander visiting the emirate, in a newspaper report Friday.
"The leaked document will prove the truth about Mossad's involvement, but there are certain people that will still deny it even with the leaked documents," Dahi Khalfan told the English-language Gulf News.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, quoted on the website of Al-Jazeera television, has vowed to release "sensitive" documents on the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 and on Mahmud Al-Mabhuh's murder in his Dubai hotel room.
Khalfan, who came out in support of the WikiLeaks campaign of releasing US diplomatic cables, has said ever since the early days of Dubai police's probe into the killing that Israeli agents assassinated the Hamas commander.
Mabhuh, a founder of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, was found dead in his Al-Bustan Rotana room near Dubai airport. He was wanted in Israel for the alleged murder of two Israelis.
He had been drugged and asphyxiated, apparently by a group of people seen on hotel closed-circuit security cameras following him to his room.
Twelve British, six Irish, four French, three Australian and one German passports were used by the 26 people believed linked to the murder, according to Dubai police.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=344990
25 dec 2010
Egypt: Mossad was behind internet cable cut two years ago
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Egyptian Supreme State Security disclosed investigations leading to Israeli foreign intelligence the Mossad being behind the break in an internet cable belonging to Egypt a few kilometers off Italian shores a year and a half back.
Officials cited confessions from an Egyptian man accused of espionage in an Israeli spy network targeting Egypt.
The internet connection in Egypt took a turn for the worse when cables linking the country with international internet were cut, an incident that triggered significant economic losses for larger companies that make financial transactions via the net.
The Mossad also sought to pump large amounts of false information by tampering with Arab-Muslim ideological and cultural heritage contrary to facts that would cause Arab youth to question its identity in line with Israeli interests, investigators said based on confessions given by the spy suspect Tariq Abdel Razeq Issa.
Egypt's ministry of communications and information technology said a cable cut in the Mediterranean Sea caused a partial disruption in the internet and other communications services in the country in January 2008.
http://bit.ly/g6eSl9
Al-Dhari: Israeli firms operate in Iraq
Head of the Association of Muslim Scholars Harith Al-Dhari
The head of an Iraqi clerical association, Harith al-Dhari, says companies affiliated with the Israeli spy agency Mossad are freely operating all over Iraq.
Al-Dhari, the head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, says Israeli companies are particularly concentrated in the countries northern Kurdistan region.
The companies are directly working with Zionist spy agencies, said al-Dhari, Iraq's most influential Sunni cleric and a prominent anti-American figure.
Israeli companies infiltrating Iraq work under Arabic, English and Turkish names, he added.
Reports say at least 70 Israeli firms operate in Iraq, using proxy Arab or European companies.
Earlier this year, Syrian customs officials seized several trucks loaded with Israeli goods heading to Iraq.
In 2008, Iraq's Yaqen News Agency unveiled that more than 55 Israeli companies were working in Iraq under assumed names.
The agency added that the Zionist firms operate in a variety of fields, including infrastructure and marketing.
It also said that Israel exports more than $300 million in goods to Iraq annually.
The companies, the report said, won contracts for construction projects in Iraq, thanks to help the US Agency for International Development that oversees the allocation of building contracts in Iraq.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/157009.html 31 dec 2010, 12:38 , Respect -
Maria 26 dec 2010
'Mossad to come clean on Mabhouh hit'
A poster shows Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas official assassinated by Mossad agents in Dubai on January 19, 2010.
Israel is reportedly ready to acknowledge that it was behind the assassination of senior Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in the United Arab Emirates in January 2010.
The incoming chief of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad will personally apologize for the use of fake British passports in the assassination, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.
Tamir Pardo will also promise London that Israel will never use British documents in its overseas operations again, the report added.
Although the Israeli agents who carried out the assassination left a trail of incriminating evidence, Tel Aviv still made strenuous efforts to evade an official mea culpa.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Pardo's predecessor, Meir Dagan, refused to apologize for the use of British citizens' identities. The ID theft revelation prompted Britain to expel Mossad's station chief in London in March 2010.
Mabhouh was killed in his hotel room in Dubai on January 19, hours after he arrived in Dubai from Syria.
After the mysterious death of Mabhouh in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates published photos and identifying information on 26 people suspected to have played a role in tracking and killing the Hamas official.
Dubai police said the murder was carried out by a hit squad of at least 11 people carrying forged European passports: one French, three Irish, six British, and one German.
A French national, identified as Peter Elvinger, allegedly acted as the logistical mastermind in the Dubai hit.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/157160.html
27 dec 2010
'Israel, a murder apparatus' Ralph Schoenman.
(4:34) 'Israel, a murder apparatus' Ralph Schoenman. Israel has admitted that its spy agency of Mossad assassinated senior Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in the UAE, while an incoming Mossad chief will apologize for using UK passports in the murder.
Press TV interviewed Mr. Ralph Schoenman, author of "The Hidden History of Zionism" about Mossad assignation teams, which he labeled them, "Murder Incorporated." 3 jan 2011, 14:31 , Respect -
Maria 21 dec 2010
Mossad Accused of 1987 Assassination of German MP
Uwe Barschel and his family
Uwe Barschel may be about to join the infamous line of Mossad assassination victims killed outside the immediate conflict zone, including Mahmoud al-Mabouh, Khaled al-Meshal, Gerald Bull, and Imad Mugniyeh among others. In 1987, he was a rising star in Germany’s Chrisitian Democratic Union. He had just resigned his position as state secretary for Schleswig-Holstein after a press publicist accused him of digging for dirt against a political opponent. After a mysterious individual invited him to meet at a Geneva hotel to receive information that would tarnish the publicist, he was found the next day fully clothed in the hotel bath. He had ingested or been force fed a lethal dose of barbituates.
Undoubtedly, given today’s forensic pathology capabilities they would’ve been able to more definitively answer how Uwe Barschel died. Remember, originally authorities in Dubai thought al Mabouh died of a heart attack. It was only with a subsequent toxicology test that was far more sophisticated that they isolated the drugs that incapacitated al-Mabouh.
In one of his books, rogue ex-Mossad agent, Victor Ostrovsky, argued that the Mossad killed Barschel due to matters related to Iran-Israeli weapons deals. Israel wanted to use the port of Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein to ship missiles to Iran. In an interview with Yediot, Ostrovsky adds that Barschel had partial knowledge of military collaboration among Iran, Germany and the U.S. This included the shipment of replacement military parts to Iran along with weapons purchases and the training of Iranian pilots in Germany. After he resigned, he threatened to blow the whistle on the whole operation. Had he talked, there would’ve been severe political repercussions, which caused the Mossad to get rid of him:
According to Ostovsky, Germany knew what was planned and the killing was not done “behind its back.”
Now, Die Welt will publish a extensive article tomorrow documenting Ostrovsky’s claims through the work of a distinguished Swiss toxicologist, Dr. Hans Brandenberger, who will argue that the methods used to kill Barschel fit within the parameters of what could’ve been a Mossad killing:
“The chemical results indicate a murder…due to the complexity of the murder scene. [For a crime] like this [it] must be a professional team that was at work, not a single person.”
Brandenberger is the first such expert to corroborate Ostrovsky’s claims and point the finger at the Mossad.
I’m trying to get the full article translated when it is published tomorrow.
- 31 dec 2010
'New info on Mabhouh hit revealed'
This file photo show the father of martyred Palestinian Hamas official, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh holding a photo of his son.
Israel used the code name %u201Cplasma screen%u201D to describe Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in the assassination of the senior Hamas official in Dubai in January 2010, an Israeli newspaper says.
The Tel Aviv daily Yehdiot Aharonot also reported that a special Mossad hit squad carried out the operations leading up to the assassination of al-Mabhouh.
Meanwhile, on Thursday Dubai Police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim said that Tel Aviv asked the UAE to stop releasing the details about the al-Mabhouh assassination.
Al-Mabhouh was found dead in his hotel room on January 19, 2010. The Dubai police said the murder was carried out by a hit squad of at least 11 people using stolen identities, in many cases forged British, Irish, French, German, and Australian passports.
More than half of the people identified as being responsible for the killing share the names of foreign-born Israeli nationals.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158077.html
Israel wants press away from Dubai hit
Israel has called on the United Arab Emirates to stop releasing images of those involved in the killing of a leading Hamas leader in Dubai earlier this year.
In a move bolstering suspicions of Israeli involvement in the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January, Dubai's police Chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim said on Thursday that Tel Aviv had asked the UAE to stop releasing the details of the killing.
"It was told to us through another party that Israel was disturbed by the release of the pictures of those involved, saying it would be harmful to their children and wives," Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim said.
Tamim, however, said that keeping quiet about al-Mabhouh's assassination was never an option for him, The National reported on Friday.
The police chief also confirmed that there was not a single body or country that expressed a desire to keep the details of the investigation in the dark.
Dubai police, which have released images of nearly 30 suspects believed to be involved in the killing of the top Hamas commander, have repeatedly said that Tel Aviv was behind the killing.
Mabhouh was found dead in his hotel room on January 19. Dubai police said the murder was carried out by a hit squad of at least 11 people using stolen identities, and in many cases forged British, Irish, French, German and Australian passports.
More than half of the people identified as responsible for the killing share the names of foreign-born Israeli nationals.
Israel has reportedly acknowledged that its secret service, Mossad, was behind the assassination of the senior Hamas commander in Dubai.
Earlier in the year, The Sunday Times reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "gave his authorization" for the assassination.
According to the British media, the new head of Mossad, Tamir Pardo, is planning to personally apologize for the use of forged British passports in the killing. He will also promise London that Israeli agents will never again be allowed to use British documents during operations abroad.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158053.html
'Mossad behind assassinations in Iran'
Dr. Majid Shahriari's car after his assassination by terrorists in Tehran on Monday, November 29, 2010
Reports say the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, has collaborated with American and British intelligence to carry out the assassination of Iranian scientists in Tehran.
Mossad conducted the assassinations "with the help of the CIA and MI6," The Jerusalem Post reported, citing independent French weekly Le Canard enchaine.
Intelligence sources told the influential French weekly that the assassinations were part of Israeli plots aimed at sabotaging Iran's nuclear program.
On November 29, unidentified terrorists detonated bombs in the vehicles of Majid Shahriari and Fereydoun Abbasi -- both professors at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.
Professor Shahriari was killed immediately, but Dr. Abbasi and his wife sustained minor injuries and were transferred to a hospital and later released.
Iran has blamed Israel and Western powers for the terrorist attacks.
In October, renowned French daily Le Figaro revealed that Mossad is responsible for the disappearance or death of Iranian scientists and a computer malware that recently targeted Iranian computer systems.
The Stuxnet worm is a bug designed to infect computers using Siemens Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) -- a control system favored by industries that manage water supplies, oil rigs, and power plants.
Iranian experts say the worm may have been created by a state-sponsored organization in the United States or Israel to target specific control software used in Iran's industrial sector, including the Bushehr plant -- the country's first nuclear power plant.
Le Canard enchaine also claimed that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Britain's MI6 helped Israel develop the Stuxnet worm to sabotage Iran's nuclear facilities.
Israel -- widely believed to be the sole possessor of nuclear warheads in the Middle East -- staunchly opposes Iran's nuclear program.
The Israeli regime and its Western allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program with Tel Aviv repeatedly threatening Tehran with an attack on its nuclear facilities.
Tehran has rejected such allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty it is entitled to pursue its peaceful nuclear program, which has been closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158004.html