Difference between revisions of "David Kimche"
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[[David Kimche]] (1928-2010) was Deputy Head of [[Mossad]] before becoming Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1980. He was a key player in the [[Iran-Contra]] affair.<ref>Isabel Kershner, [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10kimche.html David Kimche, an Israeli Adept as Spy and Diplomat, Dies at 82], ''New York Times'', 9 March 2010.</ref> | [[David Kimche]] (1928-2010) was Deputy Head of [[Mossad]] before becoming Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1980. He was a key player in the [[Iran-Contra]] affair.<ref>Isabel Kershner, [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10kimche.html David Kimche, an Israeli Adept as Spy and Diplomat, Dies at 82], ''New York Times'', 9 March 2010.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Background== | ||
| + | Kimche came from an eastern European family which moved from Switzerland to England. He emigrated to Palestine in 1946.<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.154-155.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Mossad== | ||
| + | Kimche was recruited into the [[Mossad]] in 1953. As an intelligence officer, he sought to build links with non-Arab and non-Muslim minorities in the Middle East.<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.155.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Africa=== | ||
| + | In the 1960s, Kimche was a key player in Mossad operations in Africa, sometimes working under the pseudonym "David Sharon".<ref name="EverySpy155">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.154-155.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | He was present in Zanzibar in 1964, during a revolution in which the island's black majority overthrew the Arab sultan.<ref name="EverySpy155">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.154-155.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Kurdistan=== | ||
| + | In 1965, Kimche became the first Israeli envoy to visit Iraqi Kurdistan.<ref>Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, ''Dangerous Liaison'', The Bodley Head, 1992, p.105 .</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Moroccan negotiations=== | ||
| + | By 1977, Kimche was assistant to Mossad chief [[Yitzhak Hofi]]. Shortly after the May 1977 Israeli election, the new Prime Minister [[Menachem Begin]] ordered Hofi to Morocco to meet King [[Hassan II of Morocco|Hassan II]] and the Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt, [[Hassan Tohami]].<ref name="EverySpy221">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.221.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kimche accompanied [[Moshe Dayan]] to another meeting with Tohami in Morocco on 16 September 1977. Dayan offered to withdraw from the Sinai, paving the way for President [[Anwar Sadat]]'s visit to Jerusalem two months later.<ref name="EverySpy222">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.222.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Lebanon=== | ||
| + | At some point, during his career, Kimche was responsible for Mossad activities in Lebanon.<ref name="EverySpy266">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.266h.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Retirement from Mossad=== | ||
| + | Kimche hoped to take over as head of the Mossad, but Hofi blocked his succession, according to Melman and Raviv, because he resented him acting as a "one-man organisation", wasting money and running operations that were not reported to his chief. Kimche retired from the Mossad in 1980.<ref name="EverySpy258">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.258.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Foreign Ministry== | ||
| + | Foreign Minister [[Yitzhak Shamir]] recruited Kimche as director-general of the Foreign Ministry, although Kimche retained his ambition to head the Mossad, and kept up his contact there.<ref name="EverySpy221">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.221.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Arik's Court=== | ||
| + | Kimche was an occasional participant in the unofficial forums that came to be known as 'Arik's Court' around Defence Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] in the early 1980s.<ref name="EverySpy257">Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.257.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kimche continued to believe in the 'peripheral strategy' which saw Iran as a potential ally of Israel. In February 1982, he and [[Yaakov Nimrodi]] appeared on the BBC's ''Panorama'' programme calling for a coup in Iran..<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.331.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kimche along with [[Yaakov Nimrodi]] and [[Al Schwimmer]], accompanied Sharon to a meeting with Sudanese President [[Gaafar Numeiri]] and [[Adnan Khashoggi]] in Kenya on 13 May 1982. On his return, he informed Hofi that [[Mossad]] would be permitted to set up a station in Sudan. However, Hofi vetoed the covert operations that had been planned at the Kenya meeting, including a coup attempt in Iran.<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, pp.261-263.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Iran-Contra=== | ||
| + | In April 1984, US national Secuurity Advisor [[Robert McFarlane]] asked [[Howard Teicher]] to discuss Israeli aid to the Contras with Kimche.<ref>Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, ''Dangerous Liaison'', The Bodley Head, 1992, p.230.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the mid-1980s, Kimche was one of three Israelis authorised by [[Shimon Peres]] to cooperate with the US in trading arms to Iran for hostages in the Lebanon.<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, pp.324-328.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Kimche informed US National Security Advisor [[Robert McFarlane]] of potential contacts with Iran and passed on an analysis of the regime by [[Manucher Ghorbanifar]].<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.335.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | After a visit to Israel by [[Michael Ledeen]], Peres sent Kimche to Washington to brief McFarlane.<ref>Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | According to McFarlane, Kimche raised the issue of a possible arms deal with Iran in July and early August 1985.<ref>Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, ''Dangerous Liaison'', The Bodley Head, 1992, p.338.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Andrew and Leslie Cockburn suggest that the arms for hostages deal may have been conceived by [[Shimon Peres]] following his party's return to power as a way for Labour financiers to muscle in on the Iran arms trade over the objections of [[Mossad]].<ref>Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, ''Dangerous Liaison'', The Bodley Head, 1992, p.339-340.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Shaul Eisenberg== | ||
| + | After leaving full-time government service in 1985, Kimche went to work for [[Shaul Eisenberg]], according to Andrew and Leslie Cockburn.<ref>Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, ''Dangerous Liaison'', The Bodley Head, 1992, p.12.</ref> | ||
==Affiliations== | ==Affiliations== | ||
Revision as of 20:59, 16 January 2013
David Kimche (1928-2010) was Deputy Head of Mossad before becoming Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1980. He was a key player in the Iran-Contra affair.[1]
Contents
Background
Kimche came from an eastern European family which moved from Switzerland to England. He emigrated to Palestine in 1946.[2]
Mossad
Kimche was recruited into the Mossad in 1953. As an intelligence officer, he sought to build links with non-Arab and non-Muslim minorities in the Middle East.[3]
Africa
In the 1960s, Kimche was a key player in Mossad operations in Africa, sometimes working under the pseudonym "David Sharon".[4]
He was present in Zanzibar in 1964, during a revolution in which the island's black majority overthrew the Arab sultan.[4]
Kurdistan
In 1965, Kimche became the first Israeli envoy to visit Iraqi Kurdistan.[5]
Moroccan negotiations
By 1977, Kimche was assistant to Mossad chief Yitzhak Hofi. Shortly after the May 1977 Israeli election, the new Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered Hofi to Morocco to meet King Hassan II and the Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt, Hassan Tohami.[6]
Kimche accompanied Moshe Dayan to another meeting with Tohami in Morocco on 16 September 1977. Dayan offered to withdraw from the Sinai, paving the way for President Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem two months later.[7]
Lebanon
At some point, during his career, Kimche was responsible for Mossad activities in Lebanon.[8]
Retirement from Mossad
Kimche hoped to take over as head of the Mossad, but Hofi blocked his succession, according to Melman and Raviv, because he resented him acting as a "one-man organisation", wasting money and running operations that were not reported to his chief. Kimche retired from the Mossad in 1980.[9]
Foreign Ministry
Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir recruited Kimche as director-general of the Foreign Ministry, although Kimche retained his ambition to head the Mossad, and kept up his contact there.[6]
Arik's Court
Kimche was an occasional participant in the unofficial forums that came to be known as 'Arik's Court' around Defence Minister Ariel Sharon in the early 1980s.[10]
Kimche continued to believe in the 'peripheral strategy' which saw Iran as a potential ally of Israel. In February 1982, he and Yaakov Nimrodi appeared on the BBC's Panorama programme calling for a coup in Iran..[11]
Kimche along with Yaakov Nimrodi and Al Schwimmer, accompanied Sharon to a meeting with Sudanese President Gaafar Numeiri and Adnan Khashoggi in Kenya on 13 May 1982. On his return, he informed Hofi that Mossad would be permitted to set up a station in Sudan. However, Hofi vetoed the covert operations that had been planned at the Kenya meeting, including a coup attempt in Iran.[12]
Iran-Contra
In April 1984, US national Secuurity Advisor Robert McFarlane asked Howard Teicher to discuss Israeli aid to the Contras with Kimche.[13]
In the mid-1980s, Kimche was one of three Israelis authorised by Shimon Peres to cooperate with the US in trading arms to Iran for hostages in the Lebanon.[14]
Kimche informed US National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane of potential contacts with Iran and passed on an analysis of the regime by Manucher Ghorbanifar.[15]
After a visit to Israel by Michael Ledeen, Peres sent Kimche to Washington to brief McFarlane.[16]
According to McFarlane, Kimche raised the issue of a possible arms deal with Iran in July and early August 1985.[17]
Andrew and Leslie Cockburn suggest that the arms for hostages deal may have been conceived by Shimon Peres following his party's return to power as a way for Labour financiers to muscle in on the Iran arms trade over the objections of Mossad.[18]
Shaul Eisenberg
After leaving full-time government service in 1985, Kimche went to work for Shaul Eisenberg, according to Andrew and Leslie Cockburn.[19]
Affiliations
- Next Century Foundation for Peace - Associate.[20]
Connections
- Jon Kimche - brother
External Resources
- Israel's 'spymaster' David Kimche dies aged 82, BBC News, 9 March 2010.
- Patricia Sullivan, David Kimche dies; Israeli spy involved in Iran-contra scandal, Washington Post, 10 March 2010.
Notes
- ↑ Isabel Kershner, David Kimche, an Israeli Adept as Spy and Diplomat, Dies at 82, New York Times, 9 March 2010.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.154-155.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.155.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.154-155.
- ↑ Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, Dangerous Liaison, The Bodley Head, 1992, p.105 .
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.221.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.222.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.266h.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.258.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.257.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.331.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, pp.261-263.
- ↑ Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, Dangerous Liaison, The Bodley Head, 1992, p.230.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, pp.324-328.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.335.
- ↑ Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, Every Spy a Prince: The Secret History of Israel's Intelligence Community, Houghton Mifflin, 1991, p.
- ↑ Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, Dangerous Liaison, The Bodley Head, 1992, p.338.
- ↑ Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, Dangerous Liaison, The Bodley Head, 1992, p.339-340.
- ↑ Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, Dangerous Liaison, The Bodley Head, 1992, p.12.
- ↑ Patrons & Trustees, Next Century Foundation for Peace, archived at the Internet Archive 16 December 2004, accessed 16 january 2013.
