Meir Dagan

Meir Dagan (2011)

Meir Dagan ( Hebrew מאיר דגן; * January 30, 1945 in Novosibirsk , Soviet Union as Meir Hubermann ; † March 17, 2016 in Tel Aviv , Israel ) was an Israeli major general ( Aluf ) and from 2002 to 2011 director of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad .

Life

Meir Dagan's parents had survived the Holocaust and emigrated with him from the Soviet Union to Israel in 1950 . The family settled in the coastal town of Bat Jam, south of Tel Aviv. Bronisław Huberman an uncle of Dagan was the founder of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra . Dagan graduated from Haifa University with a bachelor's degree in political science . From 1963 Dagan was in the Israeli army with the paratroopers . In the 1967 Six Day War he commanded a company that fought in Sinai and the Golan Heights .

In the early 1970s, under Ariel Sharon , Dagan commanded a unit (called “Rimon”, translated “pomegranate”) that operated clandestinely in the Palestinian territories ( Gaza Strip ) against suspected terrorists and also carried out executions . During the Yom Kippur War , he crossed the Suez Canal alongside Sharon in 1973 . In the 1982 Lebanon War, he commanded a tank brigade (Barak Armor Brigade).

After the war, Dagan headed a network of agents in Arab countries for the Aman military intelligence service from Lebanon . In 1995 he said goodbye to the army. As an officer he was highly decorated (in 1971 he received the Israeli Medal of Courage Itur HaOz, just created) and was wounded twice. Most recently he held the rank of general.

In 1996, at the request of Shimon Peres , Dagan became deputy to Ami Ayalon , who was appointed head of the Israeli domestic security service Shin Bet after the murder of Yitzchak Rabin . There he headed the staff that advised the government on counter-terrorism measures. In the late 1990s he became a member of the Israeli General Staff as head of the operations department. He joined Likud in 1999 and was Ariel Sharon's security advisor in its 2001 election campaign.

Sharon named Dagan director of the Mossad after his election as prime minister in August 2002. In contrast to the agent image of his predecessor Ephraim Halevy , he had the reputation of a daredevil "with iron nerves" from his military service. His autocratic leadership style was controversial internally. His term of office as Mossad leader was extended by the Israeli government in 2009. As examples of his successes, a Mossad campaign against the suspected nuclear weapons efforts of Iran, a blow in 2007 against nuclear facilities suspected in Syria and the killing of the security chief of Hezbollah , Imad Mugniyah , in 2008 in Damascus, which is attributed to the Mossad. The discovery of a previously unknown nuclear facility in the Iranian city of Qom , which was announced in 2009, is also attributed to the Mossad as a success.

Following the assassination attempt on Hamas leader Mahmud al-Mabhuh in a Dubai luxury hotel, in which there are indications of the involvement of the Israeli secret service, the liberal daily Haaretz demanded Dagan's resignation in February 2010. Since the perpetrators used British passports from Israeli dual citizens and a German passport from a fictional person, there was also resentment with the British government.

Meir Dagan in the middle together with the Israeli General Staff on his departure as head of the Mossad

In 2010, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Tamir Pardo as Dagan's successor as Mossad leader. The handover took place on January 6, 2011.

Together with other personalities from security circles , including Juval Diskin , he criticized the Israeli government's plan to attack the Iranian nuclear program militarily. This would mean that Iran could accelerate the construction of the atomic bomb, and not, as the government claims, affect the construction.

As the head of the secret service, Dagan had a photo in his office which, according to him, shows his grandfather, who was put on the head by an SS officer with a gun before the execution.

Dagan died in 2016 of complications from liver cancer , the advanced stage of which was diagnosed in 2012. After unsuccessful aggressive chemotherapy , he tried to obtain a transplant . Since he did not meet the requirements in Israel, he undertook a liver transplant in Belarus .

Web links

Commons : Meir Dagan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Yaron, German-language portrait at Info-Middle-East , January 2010.
• Silke Mertins: Meir Dagan - Mossad's 'M'. ( Memento from February 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: Financial Times Germany. February 19, 2010.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Yaron Druckman, Itamar Eichner, Itay Blumenthal: Ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan dies. Director of the Mossad from 2002-2011 passes away at 71 after battle with cancer; Dagan filled a number of senior defense roles and fought in the Six Day, Yom Kippur, and First Lebanon Wars. March 17, 2016, accessed November 28, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Michael Borgstede: Meir Dagan - a daredevil as head of the Mossad. In: The world. February 25, 2010.
3. ↑ Meir Dagan becomes the new Mossad chief. In: TAZ. September 12, 2002.
4. ↑ cf. Thorsten Schmitz: Israel’s secret service chief with a penchant for adventure. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. No. 42, 20./21. February 2010, p. 4.
5. ↑ Patrick Devenny: The List: The Middle East's Most Powerful Spooks. In a region known for cutthroat espionage, these five intelligence chiefs have leveraged their skills and connections to gain influence far above their pay grades. In: Foreign Policy. July 20, 2009, archived from the original on October 23, 2012 ; accessed on November 28, 2018 (English). 
6. ↑ Newsweek December 12, 2009, Iran's worst enemy
7. ^ Tagesschau.de: Criticism of the Mossad in one's own country. ( Memento from February 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), February 17, 2010.
8. ↑ Iranian atomic bomb from 2015 at the earliest. In: ORF . January 7, 2011, accessed January 7, 2011 . 
9. ↑ Former intelligence chief accuses Israeli government of "deception". The former secret service chief Juval Diskin contradicts Israel's rulers: An attack on Iran would even accelerate its nuclear program. In: Zeit Online. April 28, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012 . 
10. ↑ Meir Dagan: the mastermind behind Mossad's secret war. In: Sunday Times. February 21, 2010. Report by Uzi Mahnaimi about Dagan (English).

predecessor	Office	successor
Ephraim Halevy	Director of Mossad 2002–2010	Tamir Pardo