May 10, 2009, - 8:16 pm
VIDEO: The Story of Ashraf Marwan, Egyptian Spy for Israel (w/ “60 Minutes”-Arab World Spin)
By Debbie Schlussel
A couple of years ago, the story of billionaire playboy Ashraf Marwan–long known in Israeli intelligence circles as an important double agent who betrayed Egypt and helped Israel–came to light to the world at large. Marwan “fell”–was thrown over a balcony–from his London apartment and his memoirs were stolen. Marwan was the son-in-law of former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. And just a month before his untimely death, Marwan’s name was leaked by an off-kilter former Israeli Mossad agent bent on revenge.
Tonight, “60 Minutes” did a somewhat fair report on Marwan–compared to their usual biased anti-Israel reporting. But, of course, they had to give the embarrassed Egyptian side of things. Everyone who’s known the story of Marwan knows he was spying for Israel and against Egypt–and not the other way around as the Egyptians, whom he played like violins, claim. But they must claim that to save face. After all, his betrayal of the Egyptian Arab Muslims was a huge scandal and an even greater embarrassment, which they can never live down. The guy who was doing Nasser’s daughter was doing her and Egypt on behalf of Israel–enough to make Arab Muslims all over the world red-hot with anger. So they lie about it and pretend it isn’t so. But it is. That’s why they murdered the guy and stole his memoirs, so their embarrassment could never turn into an international best seller and hit movie.
Even if Marwan had been a double agent working on Egypt’s behalf, he didn’t achieve their goal, which was total recapture of the Sinai. It took a non-war, non-spy situation and Jimmy Carter’s forcing of Menachem Begin to win that territory back for a soundly defeated Egypt. And “60 Minutes”–in its typical, revisionist pan-Arabist spin–claims the “Yom Kippur War” was a virtual tie, a wash, a “standstill.” Oh, really? History says otherwise. It was a rout of Egypt and the aiding and abetting Arab nations–a complete Israeli victory.
Not sure if the Howard Bloom in this report is the author who wrote the excellent, “The Lucifer Principle.” I don’t think it’s the same guy. But, regardless, I recommend that book highly. That Bloom was ahead of his time in recognizing the Islamic threat to America, years ago.
Another thing: “60 Minutes” reporter Steve Kroft compares Marwan’s exploits to a John Le Carre novel. But as I’ve noted, John Le Carre hated Israel and used anti-Israel plots in his books. Plus, he was gonna be a commie spy and carefully considered it.
BTW, my fave Israeli spy remains Eli Cohen (also spelled, Elie Cohn), who rose to the point where he was about to become Syria’s Defense Minister–he was that good a spy for Israel. A great portrayal of his story is the movie, “The Impossible Spy.” Buy it. (His story is also excellently chronicled in the book, “Our Man in Damascus,” by Eli Ben-Hanan.)
Pity Eli Cohen decided to use his radio transmitter during Syria’s deliberate blackout to find the spy.
If he didn’t use the batteries in his radio transmitter, they Syrians might have given up the search for Eli and made him defense minister
Underzog on May 10, 2009 at 9:59 pm