How Ziad Ahmad Itani fell into Mossad’s honey entice

Sooner than he changed into once arrested as a suspected Israeli search, Ziad Ahmad Itani changed into once a a hit artist, journalist and playwright.

His inner most and professional trajectory did now not imply that he would discontinuance up working for the Mossad, Israel’s notorious external search agency.

While Itani’s case would be a quantity of, it isn’t remoted. He changed into once arrested on November 24 and charged with spying for Israel on Lebanese journalists, intellectuals, and authorities ministers.

The Lebanese Narrate’s Security, the pleasurable agency accountable of going thru cases of espionage, confirmed the prices towards Itani of working for Israel, which Lebanon considers an enemy command.

The assertion talked about that damming evidence changed into once came upon in Itani’s Beirut home, including « drugs, four notebook computer computers, 5 cellphones that he retail outlets the secret data in ».

The assertion additionally talked about Itani has confessed to the prices.

There isn’t this kind of thing as a felony professional for Itani yet. He has now not been referred to court yet and stays beneath arrest.

A classic honey entice

The Mossad has prolonged recruited Arab spies working on behalf of Israel towards their have countries.

Unlike others hired by the Mossad for the reason that Fifties and onward, who infiltrated the circles of Arab society’s political and militia elite, Itani does now not fit the profile of the classic Israeli search, even although the recruitment design changed into once the an analogous.

In accordance to classified Lebanese counterintelligence investigations, which Al Jazeera has purchased, Itani changed into once recruited by a Swedish girl in a classic « honey entice ».

In a videotaped confession, he claims Mossad historical photos showing him having intercourse as a approach of pressuring him into spying for the agency.

Pierre Abi Saab, deputy editor of the day-to-day Al-Akhbar newspaper, says Itani’s case is segment of new intelligence war being waged by Mossad and others to reinvent Arab political culture to settle for Israel as a « customary » country within the station, in have to an enemy command.

Prolonged sooner than any peace settlement between Israel and a quantity of Arab states esteem Egypt and Jordan, signed in 1979 and 1994 respectively, the Mossad operated with impunity in Arab and European countries by killing Israel’s enemies and recruiting successfully-placed spies within the higher echelon of powers.

The Israeli Mossad, as an illustration, assassinated famed Palestinian intellectual and creator Ghassan Kanafani in Beirut in 1972. The Mossad additionally assassinated Egyptian nuclear scientist Yahya El Mashad in Paris, France in 1982.

But after signing peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and having constructed casual but in depth ties with a quantity of Arab countries, the Mossad centered on assassinating Palestinians within the occupied territories.

This day, the Mossad has allies in many Arab capitals and operates hand-in-hand with governments resembling Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE towards their customary enemies.

Israel is now working on penetrating our societies thru public intellectuals, journalists, filmmakers, actors and journalists.

Pierre Abi Saab, Al Akhbar deputy editor

Arab intelligence companies are identified to work extensively with the Mossad to penetrate groups resembling al-Qaeda and the Islamic Narrate of Iraq and the Levant. Arab states additionally work with the Mossad towards Palestinian nationalist and « Islamist » groups.

Abi Saab argues that Mossad, having secured Arab governments as allies, has started paying more attention to altering public idea to Israel’s favour, regardless of its continued unlawful occupation of Arab territories.

« Israel is now working on penetrating our societies thru public intellectuals, journalists, filmmakers, actors and journalists, » he talked about. « The Mossad wishes to alternate the Arab hearts and minds to Israeli favour thru our have public intellectuals. »

Because of Lebanon has a liberal and diverse society, Israel would look a straightforward purpose in phrases of making an strive to alternate the country’s political culture by recruiting brokers and supporters by a quantity of design, says Abi Saab.

Who’s Ziad Ahmad Itani?

Itani worked as journalist in Beirut for two Lebanese media retail outlets, sooner than dedicating himself to creating and writing comedy sketches and performs.

He grew to change into a hit within the humanities and rose to popularity within Lebanese society.

About a of Itani’s traffic in point of fact helpful Al Jazeera that they would describe his political affairs as innovative and nationalist relating to politics in Lebanon and the station.

One amongst his acquaintances, Al Akhbar reporter Radwan Murtada, talked about Itani’s political affairs had been « shifty ».
He once supported the March eight movement, which incorporates Hezbollah and its allies, then switched to Pan-Arab Nassrite nationalists, then switched any other time to beef up the March 14 Alliance movement that entails Top Minister Saad Hariri’s Future birthday party and his Christian allies.

His successes and apparently flimsy political affairs made him inclined and a straightforward purpose of the Mossad, the argument goes.

He additionally changed into once a leading order defending a quantity of Lebanese artists and filmmakers who have been accused of visiting and collaborated with Israel, resembling filmmaker Ziad Doueiri.

Director Ziad Doueiri poses real thru a photocall for the movie The Insult at the 74th Venice Film Competition in Venice, Italy [File: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters]

In The Attack, Doueiri hired Reymonde Amsallem, an Israeli actress, to play a Palestinian personality. He additionally shot the film in Israel, with the wait on of the Israeli authorities. Lebanon, which is formally at war with Israel, bans its voters from visiting the country.

In The Insult, Doueiri tried to shine the teach of Bachir Gemayel, Lebanon’s weak president who changed into once assassinated in 1982. Within the film, Doueiri advances an argument towards Palestinian Christian militias, concluding that Palestinians are the enemy attributable to their activities in Lebanon and that and Lebanese don’t have any thunder with Israel.

Abi Saab additionally thinks Itani’s handlers within the Mossad ordered his vociferous public defence of Doueiri’s cultural ties with Israel.

Dilapidated CIA case officer Robert Baer, who worked within the Middle East for a few years and recruited Arab spies for the CIA, talked about Itani does now not fit the profile of someone the realm of intelligence and counterintelligence would be attracted to.

Baer argues, nonetheless, that the Mossad could presumably presumably perchance need historical Itani as a secondary offer working him as an « entry agent ».

« Perchance or now not it is so advanced for the Mossad that for lack of horses, they’re are saddling canines, » Baer talked about.

Notice Ali Younes on Twitter: @ali_reports