New Mossad chief named
Israel, Politics, 3/5/1998

A new Mossad chief was named by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night.

Netanyahu expressed hopes that Ephraim Halevy, a veteran Mossad member and former deputy head of the organization, will succeed in implementing a set of reforms that are needed to cure the Mossad from the latest mishaps it has suffered.

Halevy's name was first mentioned as a potential replacement for outgoing Mossad chief Dany Yatom following the ill-fated assassination attempt of Hamas political bureau head Khaled Mishal in Amman, Jordan. Relations between Israel and Jordan deteriorated after the attempt on Mishal's life and Halevy, who is said to maintain close and friendly relations with the royal court in Amman, was asked to step in and mend fences with the monarchy.

King Hussein of Jordan had instructed his security chiefs to suspend cooperation with their Israeli counterparts in part of his anger and protest against the Israeli government in general and the outgoing head of the Mossad in particular. Observers in Israel said that with Halevy's appointment as head of the Mossad, relations with Jordan are expected to warm up and security cooperation with the kingdom will soon resume.

Press reports in Israel had reported in the past that since the peace treaty with Jordan was signed in 1994, Amman became vital to Mossad operations in the Middle East. The Mossad branch in Jordan is said to be monitoring developments not only in Jordan but also in neighboring Syria, Iraq and even in Iran. Amman is believed to have taken over the role of Nicosia, which until recently was the head base for Mossad agents whose job was to spy on the Middle Eastern countries.

Yatom's tenure as Mossad chief, was troublesome almost from the very beginning when he took over in April 1996. The fact that he was brought in from the army to head the organization caused a number of senior officers in the Mossad a feeling of discontent. Many believed they deserved the post much more than Yatom, whose last job was military secretary of former prime minister Shimon Peres.

But the major blow Yatom suffered was the attack on Mishal in Jordan, though a commission of inquiry cleared him of direct responsibility for the Amman fiasco. Many in Israel called for his resignation since they saw him bearing ministerial responsibility, if not personal.

But the second fiasco in Bern where five Mossad agents were arrested two weeks ago was the straw that broke the camel's back. Yatom at first tried to cover up what happened. Senior officers within the Mossad made sure that the news of the failed operation reached members of the Knesset sub-committee for intelligence and security affairs. Yatom was asked about the affair and had no chance to deny. Two days later, he decided to resign his post.

Netanyahu also appointed the army's Major General Amiram Levine as deputy head of the Mossad. Levine, currently officer in charge of the northern command, also has his own image problems. He was blamed by many military analysts for his part in a "training incident" a few weeks ago when a special army unit was training to assassinate Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. A missile used in the training hit another target by mistake, killing a number of soldiers and injuring others.

Head of the Knesset comptroller¹s committee, Yossi Katz said earlier in the week that ³it would have been the right thing for the prime minister to carry out quiet consultations with the state comptroller before deciding whether to appoint Maj. Gen. Levine to the Mossad.² MK Katz stressed that such a consultation was necessary to prevent another shock to the Mossad, which could happen if the state comptroller holds a negative view of Levine due to the Tse¹elim Bet incident. State Comptroller Miriam Ben Porat has been working on a report of the incident for more than two years. Ben Porat refused to comment whether she had been contacted to consult on Levine¹s potential appointment.

Netanyahu offered the position of Mossad Chief to Halevy, who served as Deputy Mossad Chief until some three years ago. Netanyahu proposed that Halevy serve a two-year term, during the course of which he would train Levine. Halevy, whose term as Israel¹s Ambassador to the EU is soon to end, is renowned for his diplomatic skills while Levine is said to be an expert on the operational level.

In his announcement at his office Wednesday night, Netanyahu praised both the incoming chief and his deputy. Netanyahu had served under Levine when the latter was commander of Israeli army's top elite unit known as Sayeret Matkal. Observers said it is because of this loyalty that Netanyahu felt he had to guarantee this senior post to his former commander.

Prior to taking his decision, Netanyahu had met with opposition Labor party Chairman Ehud Barak and discussed with him the various candidates for Mossad chief. After the meeting Barak said that all of the candidates presented to him were ³worthy and excellent candidates for the position.² He added that the names that Netanyahu mentioned to him were all acceptable, including that of Levine. Relations between Levine and Barak became tense in the wake of the investigation of the Tse¹elim B affair since both were military men and were implicated in a way or another in the affair.

Halevy was born in 1943 in England and immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1948 and immediately upon his arrival he joined the Israeli groups fighting in the Tulkarem area against the Iraqi troops that were stationed there. A graduate of law from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Helevy joined the Mossad in 1961. He served in the Mossad¹s operational unit, but spent most of his years in the "Tevel" (Hebrew for universe) division, which operates as the liaison division charged with the Mossad¹s ties and contacts with its counterparts abroad, including those with which Israel has no official diplomatic ties.

In 1990, Halevy was appointed Deputy Mossad Chief and served for five years until he retired and was then appointed by assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin as his special mediator with King Hussein of Jordan. Since then, Halevy became known as the "secret channel" between the Israeli prime minister's office and the royal court in Amman. His role, it was believed, was the major factor that led to the signing of the peace treaty between the two parties in 1994.

After the Mishal affair, Netanyahu called in Halevy and asked for his intervention to secure the release of the two Mossad agents who tried to assassinate the Hamas official.

Previous Stories:
  Mossad scandal: update and background   (2/26/1998)
  A new fiasco is cause of resignation of Israeli chief of Intelligence   (2/25/1998)
  Jordan glad Israeli intelligence chief is out   (2/25/1998)

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