Dani Jatom

Dani Jatom

Dani Jatom ( Hebrew דני יתום, Born March 15, 1945 in Palestine ) is a former Israeli intelligence chief and politician. From 1996 to 1998 he was the head of the Mossad intelligence service .

Jatom served from 1963 to 1996 in the special unit Sajeret Matkal and was its deputy commander at the end. Before he moved to the head of the Mossad in 1996, he was head of the Central Command of the Israel Defense Forces . Jatom was the first Mossad chief whose name was made public during his tenure.

resignation

On February 24, 1998, Jatom submitted his resignation as Mossad director after two commando operations failed within six months and a government commission had sharply criticized the work of the Mossad. Two incidents in particular were criticized: On September 25, 1997, the assassination attempt on Khalid Maschal in Jordan failed . On February 19, 1998, a bugging campaign in Liebefeld near Bern failed . The relationship between Jatom and the Mossad was so shattered in the end that he handwritten his resignation because he no longer even trusted his secretary.

Political career

After his tenure at the head of the Mossad, he became security advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the Israeli Defense Ministry. In 2003, Jatom became a Knesset MP for the Labor Party for the first time . In 2006 he was re-elected. In July 2008 he resigned his mandate and Leon Litinski moved up for him in the Knesset.

education

He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics and computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem . With the rank of major general, he belongs to the reserve of the Israeli army. He is the chairman of the Institute for Strategic Studies at the College of Netanya .

family

Dani Jatom is married and has five children.

Individual evidence

1. ^ " Mossad Chief Quits but Defends His Role in Jordan Fiasco, " New York Times , February 25, 1998.
2. ^ " Mossad Chief Quits but Defends His Role in Jordan Fiasco, " New York Times , February 25, 1998.
3. ↑ “ Biblical Plague. Disgrace in Bern: The unsuccessful Mossad eavesdropping attack in Switzerland reveals the decline of the legendary secret service. “, Der Spiegel , March 2, 1998.
4. ↑ " The agent who gave Mossad a face ", Berliner Zeitung , February 26, 1998.

predecessor	Office	successor
Shabtai Shawit	Director of the Mossad 1996–1998	Ephraim Halevy