Who are you writing this letter to?
Nothing at all like that, Nadia, I sometimes write it down to spend time.
Who is this Nadia?
Nadia is my wife’s name. But I thought you were not married.
Perfect is not married but Eli is married.
Eli is nobody.
Sometimes I feel lonely because of what I write, perfect never feels lonely.
This is not a game perfect and no role you are playing. You are either perfect or ready to die.
Julia angrily stands up to grab her neck and threatens that I will have to inform my superiors about this.
Perfect that he made a mistake.
Letters burned in flames, as well as Nadia’s beloved Arman and Eli dressed perfect again.
Recently a series of six episodes ‘The Spy’ was broadcast on Netflix and this episode of the series reflects the desire and need to become a normal human spy and then back to being a normal human. Eli or Perfect, Perfect or Eli, Israeli or Syrian, Spy or Business.
The story may seem filthy, but Elihu Bean-Schaal-Cohen’s life was something of a turmoil.
He is also known as the bravest spy of Israel. The detective who not only spent four years in Syria between the enemies but also built such relations in the houses of power there and also managed to reach the highest levels.
In The Spy, the series shows that Cohen became so close to the Syrian president that he was about to become the deputy defense minister of Syria.
Cohen’s secret information is said to have been instrumental in Israel’s victory in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
How did the Israelites born in Egypt come to Israel?
Eli was born in 1924 in a Syrian Jewish family in Alexandria, Egypt. His father emigrated from the Syrian city of Aleppo in 1914. When Israel came to power, many Jewish families in Egypt left.
Cohen’s parents made the same decision in 1949 and emigrated to Israel, but because Cohen was studying electronics, he decided to complete his studies in Egypt.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Cohen’s anger over Arabic, English, and French languages sparked the interest of Israeli intelligence agencies.
In 1955, Cohen went to Israel to conduct a short spying course and then returned to Egypt.
After the Suez crisis, they were expelled from Egypt along with others, and in 1957 they returned to Israel.
Two years after he arrived here, he was married to Nadia Majald, an Iraqi Jew.
Prior to being hired in secret agency in 1960, he worked as an interpreter and accountant.
Travel from Argentina to Switzerland and Syria
After completing the rest of the training in 1961, Cohen arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he started his business as a Syrian citizen.
By becoming the perfect Amin Thabat, Cohen formed relations between the Syrians and soon gained their trust by befriending high-ranking Syrian embassy personnel.
Among them was Syrian military attache Amin al-Hafiz, who later became president of Syria.
Cohen had sent a message to his new friends that he wanted to return to Syria as soon as possible. When they had the opportunity to go to Damascus in 1962, the relations they had formed in Argentina helped them gain greater access to the Syrian power houses.
Soon after he stepped in, he began to convey important intelligence about the Syrian army to Israel.
Cohen’s spying efforts were significant at that time. In 1963, power changed in Syria. The Bath Party got power and there were many people in this government who had been good friends of Cohen in Argentina.
Cohen became closer to the Syrian president
The overthrow in Syria was led by Amin al-Hafeez and he became president. Cohen was very close to Hafiz and it is said that Amin trusted him so much that he wanted to make him a deputy defense minister.
Cohen was not only allowed to stay in secret meetings of the army but was also given a tour of the Syrian bases in the Golan hills. There was a lot of tension between Syria and Israel over the Golan Mountains during that period.
One episode in The Spy’s series shows that Cohen advises Syrian soldiers to plant eucalyptus trees for heat relief and that they are planted. It is said that the secret information sent about these trees and the Golan hills in the 1967 war formed the basis of Syria’s defeat at Israel’s hands. The trees helped them locate the Syrian soldiers’ hideouts.
How was Eli caught?
In spite of the grip on spying, they also included the element of carelessness and this is why they were caught. He was repeatedly warned not to over-stream the radio, but Cohen didn’t care.
In January 1965, Syrian intelligence officers found their radio signal barking and were caught red-handed while sending a transmission.
Cohen was questioned, prosecuted and sentenced to death. In 1966, Cohen was hanged at an open public square.
Israel first campaigned globally to pardon him, but Syria refused. After Cohen’s execution, Israel asked for his body, but Syria refused.
Millie’s watch 53 years later
Cohen’s watch is received in Israel in 2018, 53 years after Eli’s death. Details of when and where this watch came from in Israel’s occupation were not given. All that was said was that this watch was obtained in a special operation by Mossad. On receiving the watch, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said, “I am proud of Mossad for this courageous operation.”
The purpose of this operation was to bring to Israel a sign associated with a great soldier such as Cohen, who has played a vital role in ensuring the security of his country.
Cohen’s watch was handed over to his widow, Nadia, at a ceremony. Speaking to Israeli TV, Nadia said, “I feel as if I’m feeling his hand in my hand. It feels like a part of him is with us.”