As the 40th year of the execution of Israel's most daring spy approaches, his family is intensifying its efforts to convince Syria's president, Bashar Al-Assad, to release his body for reburial. "I have no doubt that if Assad released the body, it would greatly improve his image in Israel and abroad," Sophie Ben-Dor, Eli Cohen's daughter was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "Making such a humane gesture could help convince the Israelis that he is serious when he talks about peace with Israel."
Ben-Dor and her mother recently sent a letter and a videocassette to Assad via unnamed intermediaries, the Jerusalem Post reported. In the cassette, they appeal to the Syrian leader directly, telling him that if he would release the body he would "honor the dead and the values of Islam." "We pleaded with him to let go of the past, and promised him that his initiative would be widely respected by the Israelis," Ben-Dor added.
"Our contacts said that he promised to release the body in due course, or that it should be part of the peace negotiations," Ben-Dor said. "We are not saying that the issue should be separated from negotiations, but it has already been 40 years, and we don't want to wait another 40 years."
Using the alias Kamal Amin Ta'abet, Eli Cohen worked undercover in Damascus as a Mossad agent from 1962 until he was arrested in 1965. Using his vast network of contacts in Syria, the Israeli spy managed to pass invaluable intelligence to Israel. Cohen was hanged on May 18, 1965.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
