Magda Hassan Wrote:Jason Katsoukis's investigation into Ben Zygier, aka "Prisoner X," who was said to have committed suicide in Ayalon Prison in 2010, began in 2009, when an anonymous source fed the Australian Fairfax reporter information regarding a Mossad front company operating in Europe and selling goods to Iran, the Guardian reported Wednesday evening.
According to the report, the source gave Katsoukis the names of three Australians with joint Israeli citizenship who were working for the Mossad. The alleged agents were said to be selling electronics to Iran through a company based in Europe.

Jan Klimkowski Wrote:

Quote:A senior Israeli intelligence official, who remained anonymous, told Australian TV that if what Ben Zygier did and knew were made public, it would pose an immediate threat to Israel as a nation state.

OK - let's indulge in some speculative thinking.


Q: If Prisoner X was selling chemical, biological or nuclear technology to an Arab state or "terror organisation", would disclosure of this crime pose an immediate threat to the Israeli state?

A: Yes.

Quote:THE family of Australian man Ben Zygier, the Mossad officer who hanged himself after being detained by Israeli authorities on national security grounds, were never told the nature of the accusations against him. Zygier's Israeli lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, said the 34-year-old maintained his innocence, but was considering a plea bargain in the lead-up to his death. Mr Feldman, one of the last people to see Zygier alive, would not detail the specific charge but said last night it was "not on the high level of gravity".

Asked about reports in Israel that Zygier was accused of "treason", Mr Feldman said: "I can't go into specifics but treason doesn't have to be somebody who is in coalition with Hezbollah or any other enemy of Israel."
The Australian understands Zygier's family received very little information about his case, which began in February 2010 when he was arrested on suspicion of committing what Foreign Minister Bob Carr described yesterday as "serious offences" under Israel's national security legislation.

His detention was kept a secret well after his death in December 2010 until the ABC's Foreign Correspondent this week revealed Zygier a father of two who had moved to Israel from Melbourne, where he studied as a lawyer 10 years earlier was the secret prisoner known as "Prisoner X".
It is understood Zygier's family are satisfied that his rights were attended to at all times by Israeli authorities.
They do not harbour any doubt about the verdict of an Israeli investigation into Zygier's death, which found the former lawyer had hanged himself in a cell supposed to be under constant surveillance.
Mr Feldman visited the high-security cell at the prison in Israel in the days before his death to discuss whether he should accept a plea bargain and face a shorter prison sentence or contest the charges, face a trial and risk a longer sentence.
He described the treatment of Zygier as "stupid, inhumane and repulsive."
It is understood that, in the period leading up to his death, Zygier was known to be struggling psychologically.
Asked how Zygier appeared, Mr Feldman said there were no obvious signs of depression but that from his experience months of solitary confinement would most likely have been weighing on him.
"He certainly said the way he was being treated was extremely unfair," Mr Feldman said.
Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO was notified in February 2010 that Zygier, who was a dual Israeli-Australian national and a target in one of its investigations, had been detained.
It is understood the agency harboured no concerns that the former Melbourne man was involved in espionage in Australia. Rather, Zygier was being investigated along with a number of dual Israeli-Australian citizens over suspected links to Mossad.
A source familiar with the investigation said the probe focused on Mossad's practice of recruiting dual citizens.
"(Zygier) was not a risk here," a source said. "In terms of what was going on, it was overseas."
Asked whether Zygier had compromised the security of Israel by the alleged "treason", Mr Feldman said: "I can't go into specifics but treason doesn't have to be somebody who is in coalition with Hezbollah or any other enemy of Israel."
Mr Feldman said his client "claimed before me he had done nothing wrong".
"But he was also claiming that the level of evidence in security cases was extremely low," he said.
"Even if you didn't do anything much, you can find yourself in trouble in the courts."
Mr Feldman would not detail the specific charge against Zygier or any security details, citing a secrecy agreement he had signed. But he said his impression of Zygier was that he was "someone who was not a traitor by nature or ideology".
"He was involved in something that I cannot go into but this concern does not threaten the security or the government of Israel," he said.
Senator Carr confirmed yesterday that Australia had sought assurances from Israel over the safety of Zygier when he was first detained in an Israeli prison in February 2010.
But he said at no point did Zygier or his family seek consular assistance from Australian officials during his imprisonment.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Senator Carr said yesterday he had received an interim report from his department after it was asked to inquire urgently about Zygier and what Australia knew about his detainment. A fuller version is expected within a few days.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Peter Varghese said Australia's embassy in Tel Aviv was not informed about Zygier's detention, but assurances on Zygier's welfare were sought through intelligence officials on the ground.
Earlier this week, Senator Carr said he had no knowledge of Zygier's case. Yesterday he clarified, saying his department was informed of Zygier's death on December 16, 2010.
A spokesman for the minister said the government had not approached Israeli for details about the case, saying the first step was to establish what was known to Australian officials in 2010. A family friend of Zygier, Henry Greener, said yesterday said he had known Zygier for many years.
He said reports that Zygier had joined Mossad were not in keeping with the young man he had known. "He wasn't tough and hard like you imagine the Mossad guys to be," Mr Greener said. "He didn't have it in him."
Zygier had been a brilliant student who had breezed through his legal studies before going off to Israel to do a stint in the Israeli armed forces.
Mr Greener said the family had been devastated by Zygier's death. Zygier's father had retired from his role at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria soon after the funeral and had returned to work as executive director of the B'Nai B'Rith Anti-Defamation Commission only in the past six months.
Additional reporting: Adam Shand, Lanai Scarr

Zygier 'planned to expose deadly use of passports'

Philip Dorling

Zygier's spy denial 'very convincing'

Quote:'Israeli Mossad agents posed as CIA spies to recruit terrorists to fight against Iran'

Foreign Policy magazine cites CIA memos from 2007-2008 that the Mossad recruited members of Jundallah terror group to fight against Tehran; U.S. was reportedly furious with Israel and moved to limit joint intelligence programs.

By Barak Ravid | Jan.13, 2012 | 8:54 PM | 80

Le Figaro: Israel's Mossad recruiting Iranian dissidents to work against Tehran regime
By Haaretz | Jan.13,2012 | 8:54 PM | 75
Netanyahu: International sanctions on Iran are working
By Barak Ravid | Jan.13,2012 | 8:54 PM | 14
Israeli official: Report of Mossad agents posing as CIA spies 'absolute nonsense'
By Amir Oren | Jan.13,2012 | 8:54 PM | 67

Israeli Mossad agents posed as CIA officers in order to recruit members of a Pakistani terror group to carry out assassinations and attacks against the regime in Iran, Foreign Policy revealed on Friday, quoting U.S. intelligence memos.

Foreign Policy's Mark Perry reported that the Mossad operation was carried out in 2007-2008, behind the back of the U.S. government, and infuriated then U.S. President George W. Bush.

Perry quotes a number of American intelligence officials and claims that the Mossad agents used American dollars and U.S. passports to pose as CIA spies to try to recruit members of Jundallah, a Pakistan-based Sunni extremist organization that has carried out a series of attacks in Iran and assassinations of government officials.

According to the report, Israel's recruitment attempts took place mostly in London, right under the nose of U.S. intelligence officials.

"It's amazing what the Israelis thought they could get away with," Foreign Policy quoted an intelligence officer as saying. "Their recruitment activities were nearly in the open. They apparently didn't give a damn what we thought."

According to a currently serving U.S. intelligence officer, Perry reports, when Bush was briefed on the information he "went absolutely ballistic."

"The report sparked White House concerns that Israel's program was putting Americans at risk," the intelligence officer told Perry. "There's no question that the U.S. has cooperated with Israel in intelligence-gathering operations against the Iranians, but this was different. No matter what anyone thinks, we're not in the business of assassinating Iranian officials or killing Iranian civilians."

The intelligence officer said that the Bush administration continued to deal with the affair until the end of his term. He noted that Israel's operation jeopardized the U.S. administration's fragile relationship with Pakistan, which was under immense pressure from Iran to crack down on Jundallah.

According to the intelligence officer, a senior administration official vowed to "take the gloves off" with Israel, but ultimately the U.S. did nothing.

"In the end it was just easier to do nothing than to, you know, rock the boat," the intelligence officer said.

Apparently, the Mossad operation caused a fiery debate among Bush's national security team and it was only resolved when U.S. President Barack Obama drastically scaled back joint U.S.-Israel intelligence programs targeting Iran, Perry quotes several serving and retired officers as saying.

The U.S. State Department has vehemently denied any ties to Jundallah and many U.S. intelligence officials remained angry with Israel over the 2007-2008 operation.

"Israel is supposed to be working with us, not against us," Foreign Policy quoted an intelligence officer as saying. "If they want to shed blood, it would help a lot if it was their blood and not ours. You know, they're supposed to be a strategic asset. Well, guess what? There are a lot of people now, important people, who just don't think that's true."

The CIA, the White House, and the Mossad failed to respond to the Foreign Policy report by the time it went to press.

Israeli Intelligence Sanitized Zygier's Cell After Hanging, Family Demands Millions in Damages

Israel arrested Ben Zygier fearing he exposed Mossad plans in Italy, ABC reports

Report indicates that Mossad handlers arrested Prisoner X upon his return from Australia due to concerns he may have shared sensitive information with agents from the ASIO.

Quote:

Ben Zygier agreed to be known as Prisoner X to protect family'

AUSTRALIAN Ben Zygier agreed to be known as "Prisoner X" to protect his family and for national security reasons, Public Security Minister Yitzak Aharonovitch told the Israeli parliamentary assembly today.



Ben Zygier agreed to be known as Prisoner X, an Israeli MP has told the Knesset.







In a summary of the case presented to MPs, Mr Aharonovitch said Zygier had all benefits of regular prisoners including access to legal and psychological services but agreed to a false name for privacy and security reasons.
He said Zygier had also agreed to the gag order on all aspects of his case, a decision upheld by the supreme court.
"Let me say clearly there are no anonymous prisoners in Israel,'' he said.
"There is appropriate supervision, laws are followed and there is great concern for the security of the State of Israel which in order to protect sometimes leads to secretive action."
Zygier died in December 2010 in a claimed suicide, but questions have been raised given the secrecy of his jailing and his isolated cell purportedly being suicide-proof.
He said Zygier's suicide was unfortunate but a full report had been prepared by a judge.
The Israeli government is considering partially lifting a gag order on the report in a bid to satisfy pressure from the media and the Australian government for answers to the case.
Mr Aharonovitch reaffirmed Zygier, an alleged Mossad spy who allegedly was leaking information of Israeli espionage operations to ASIO, was given all the normal rights of a prisoner including visits from his family and lawyer and was only tried behind closed doors for national security reasons.
Meanwhile, an inquiry by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee in to the affair has begun with Israeli Defence Forces censor Brigadier General Sima Vaknin apparently providing evidence.
The committee's meetings are confidential so what he may or may not have said is unknown. It is expected the committee's findings will form the basis for information from Foreign Minister Bob Carr.