'Mossad helped release Betancourt'

Jerusalem Post ^ | 07-20-08 | JPost staff

[atomic conspiracy]

The Mossad secret was involved in the operation to free hostage Ingrid Betancourt from Colombian rebels, AFP quoted a Spanish newspaper as reporting on Sunday.

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, right, greets her daughter Melaine Delloye after Melanie arrived from France to a military base in Bogota. Photo: AP

Slideshow: Pictures of the week According to the report, American and French secret services were also involved.

"Mossad, the US, and French intelligence services worked for more than a year with the Colombian authorities to develop the plan," the story run by Vanguardia claimed, citing an Israeli secret service source. The Jerusalem Post could not corroborate Vanguardia's report.

Colombian armed forces freed Franco-Colombian politician Betancourt, three US nationals and 11 Colombian soldiers July 2 from the jungle, where they were being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

While Betancourt's statements to the media immediately after her release acknowledged Israel's "experience" in similar situations, she did not unequivocally admit that Israel was involved in her release. Israel has never officially confirmed as much.

According to Vanguardia, Israel, France and the US participated in the operation for different reasons:: France because of Betancourt's half-French nationality, the US because of the three Americans in the group and Israel in order to maintain good bilateral relations with Colombia and the US.

Vanguardia's Tel Aviv correspondent said the Mossad operation consisted of two agents unknown to each other separately infiltrating FARC.

The pair managed to penetrate the Marxist guerrilla group so effectively that they ultimately controlled what FARC did or didn't know, the Catalan newspaper said.

The Israeli and US secret services used unmanned spy drones to locate the camp where the hostage were held, the Vanguardia said.

[atomic conspiracy]

Original source is a Spanish newspaper so salt to taste.

Still, the operation had some of the earmarks of Mossad, especially the clever use of operatives disguised as do-gooder tools and misinformation, and the obvious effort to hold violence to a minimum. ("Know the lion by his claw.")

I wonder if CNN had advance word of this when they trotted out their absurd "war crimes" claim? For lefties, "war crime" and Israel go together like Che and t-shirt, no matter how flimsy the case.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Maybe. Maybe not.
Betancourt was a mostly leftist politician (with a French passport) who was in the running in Columbian politics. Not sure if she had a record of doing or saying anything good about Israel.

[Hugin]

Sounds like BS to me. Why would the Mossad involve itself to the point of having two agents infiltrate FARC? Makes no sense.

[bajabaja]

Because, believe it or not, there are jihadi types in South America, including in Cuidad del Este, Paraguay, and, notably, those involved in large casualty bombings against Jewish targets in Buenos Aires. Those bombings occurred back in the 1990s. This has been going on for a while.

Plus, it is “practice” for the Israelis.

Ms. Betancourt did not, to my knowledge, acknowledge or thank the US or Israel, as Charles Krauthammer pointed out in a recent article.

The pro-Hamas, etc., links to South America are more understandable to me once the link was explained: drug money to fund operations and being “off the radar.” But they are there.

[Polybius]

Sounds like BS to me. Why would the Mossad involve itself to the point of having two agents infiltrate FARC?

Because FARC is a tool of Hugo Chavez and Hugo Chavez is openly anti-Semitic and actively hostile towards Venezuela's large Jewish community.

Hugo Chávez's Jewish Problem ... Venezuela’s Jewish community, amounting to less than 1 percent of the country’s total population of 26 million, is among the oldest in South America, dating back to the early 19th century. .... Since Chávez took the oath of office at the beginning of 1999, there has been an unprecedented surge in anti-Semitism throughout Venezuela. Government-owned media outlets have published anti-Semitic tracts with increasing frequency. Pro-Chávez groups have publicly disseminated copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, ..... Prominent Jewish figures have been publicly denounced for supposed disloyalty to the “Bolívarian” cause, and “Semitic banks” have been accused of plotting against the regime. ... Chávez’s government has gone so far as to stage raids on Jewish elementary schools and other places of meeting. The anti-Zionism expressed by the government is steadily spilling over into street-level anti-Semitism, in which synagogues are vandalized with a frequency and viciousness never before seen in the country. .... Graffiti, often bearing the signature of the Venezuelan Communist party and its youth organization, have appeared on synagogues and Jewish buildings, with messages like “mata niños” (“child killers”), “judios afuera” (“Jews get out”), “judios perros” (“Jews are dogs”), and swastikas linked to stars of David by an equals sign.

[atomic conspiracy]

I’ll second that, Baja. Closer to home, Farc sponsor and apologist Hugo Chavez has a high profile relationship with Iran and Hezbollah.
The Mossad would therefore have a real interest, but I agree with Hugin about the actual infiltration of Israeli agents being a little far-fetched.
It may be disinformation designed to create suspicion and paranoia among the terrorists, especially toward any foreign tools who show up wanting to support the cause.

[PRePublic]

Israel = Heroes!

[Squantos]

Everything goes right ......everyone including the janitor had a part in it. It goes wrong...........<<<<<>>>>> !

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[SJackson]

Worth noting that Hizbollah, and that attacks have been carried out against Jewish targets on instructions from Iran, the Jewish Community Center in Arrgentina, so Israel would have a reason to keep tabs on these folk, the hostages aside.

[SJackson]

Meant to include you in post 10. The why would be that Iran has threatened to attack Jewish targets around the world, and that the 1994 attack in Argentina which killed 85 was orchestrated by Iran and Hizbollah. Israel has every reason to keep tabs on these folk, including FARC which is though to have close ties to Hizbollah. Close contact because of the hostages, of course not, but not such a wild thought that Israel would target FARC for penetration.

[SJackson]

Probably should have included you in post 10 and 11 as well.

[Stultis]

Why would the Mossad involve itself to the point of having two agents infiltrate FARC? Makes no sense.

Well, Hugo Chavez is thick as theives with the Iranians and the Syrians, and Hezbollah has been operating in the region for many years now. Probably the Hezzies, or other Islamic extremists, have relations with the FARC and other "revolutionary" (criminal) groups. There are many reasons the Israelis might have had operatives in the area already, and/or had their own motivations to infiltrate the FARC.