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The Israeli Spy Who Taught Generations of Agents

(New York Times) Ronen Bergman - Isaac Shoshan, a Syrian-born Israeli undercover operative who made major contributions to the country's espionage methods, died on Dec. 28 in Tel Aviv at 96. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Shoshan had "risked his life again and again" on behalf of Israel. "Generations of warriors learned their trade at his feet, me too." Shoshan was born in Aleppo to an Arabic-speaking Jewish family. At 18, motivated by Zionism, he traveled to British-ruled Palestine and was recruited by the Palmach Jewish underground for the Arab Platoon, made up of Jews who could pass as Arabs. In 1948, after Israel declared independence, Arab Platoon agents were dispatched to neighboring Arab countries to gather information and thwart perceived threats. Shoshan retired in 1982 but was mobilized from time to time by the Mossad to train agents and sometimes participate in operations himself. Going undercover, he would take the part of an Arab old man.
2021-01-14 00:00:00
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