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Last update - 08:48 04/07/2008
Colombia hostage rescue: the Israeli angle
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies
Tags: Bentacourt, FARC, Colombia

Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was released after six years in captivity on Wednesday, compared her "impeccable" rescue operation to Israeli commando operations.

Perhaps she did not know it, but Israel indeed contributed to the elaborately-planned, daring rescue mission.

Betancourt, who was kidnapped in 2002 by Marxist rebels in Colombia (FARC), was rescued without a shot being fired. Colombian military agents, who had penetrated FARC's leadership, instructed her guards to transfer her to another rebel group.
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Her captors put her on a helicopter that arrived as scheduled, little knowing that their comrades-in-arms were undercover Colombian soldiers. Betancourt and 14 other hostages who had been held in the jungle, including three Americans, were freed.

Since word of the dramatic rescue spread, speculation in the world media has attributed the success to people trained by Israeli intelligence. But an Israeli figure familiar with the military aid to Colombia said there was "no need to exaggerate" Israel's involvement in the operation.

The Israelis involved in the operation feel it is important to accord the credit to Colombia. The Israeli activity, involving dozens of Israeli security experts, was coordinated by Global CST, owned by former General Staff operations chief, Brigadier General (res.) Israel Ziv, and Brigadier (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser.

"It's a Colombian Entebbe operation," Ziv said Thursday when he returned from Bogota. "Both regarding its national and international importance. Betancourt has become a symbol of the struggle against international terror. This is an amazing operation that wouldn't shame any army or special forces anywhere in the world."

Asked about the Israeli involvement in it Ziv said there is "no need to exaggerate."

"We don't want to take credit for something we didn't do," a company source said. "We helped them prepare themselves to fight terror. We helped them to plan operations and strategies and develop intelligence sources. That's quite a bit, but shouldn't be taken too far."

Israelis may not have taken part in the rescue, but they advised and guided, sold equipment and intelligence technology.

The Israeli involvement began a year and a half ago, when Colombia asked Israel for help in its struggle against FARC, which had become a militia specializing in kidnapping civilians and military figures for ransom and drug trading.

Israel has over the years sold Colombia planes, drones, weapons and intelligence systems. At the Defense Ministry's suggestion, Global CST won the $10 million contract to work with Colombia.

Ziv and Kuperwasser did not take part in the fighting, at the Defense Ministry's instructions. They hired experts who had worked for the Mossad, Shin Bet security service and IDF in various capacities.

"Well I have to say that this operation was exclusively carried out by the Colombian Army," Colombian ambassador to Israel Juan Hurtado Cano said in an interview with Infolive TV, Jerusalem.
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  1.   Thank you Israel! 07:36  |  Gina 04/07/08
  2.   We must be proud of our tiny country Israel... 08:04  |  Miriam Ashkelon 04/07/08
  3.   Felicidades 08:54  |  Michael 04/07/08
  4.   Proud to be Jewish/Israeli 10:09  |  Absolute Israel 04/07/08
  5.   Israeli Rescue Operations 11:14  |  Khaled 04/07/08
  6.   cubana airlines Flight 455 11:15  |  mehmet 04/07/08
  7.   Defaitist government 11:19  |  FO 04/07/08
  8.   its remembering late Wiesenthal claming for Eichmann credit 11:27  |  Manolo 04/07/08
  9.   Million Dollar Help 11:33  |  Tzionist 04/07/08
  10.   We must be proud of our tiny country Israel... Why? 11:34  |  lisa 04/07/08
  11.   israel always backs tyrannies 11:40  |  raymond deane 04/07/08
  12.   GILAD SHALIT IS WAITING 12:09  |  indrajaya 04/07/08
  13.   My sources 12:10  |  Manolo the Columbian 04/07/08
  14.   @Miriam Ashkelon 12:11  |  Ralph 04/07/08
  15.   #9 You forgot to add Post- in front of your name 12:16  |  Genuine Tosefta 04/07/08
  16.   Raymond Deane 12:42  |  Raquel 04/07/08
  17.   Khaled, 12:47  |  the truth 04/07/08
  18.   Why Irish terrorists always want to pretend being Mother Theresa 13:06  |  Genuine Tosefta 04/07/08
  19.   Israeli Inferiority Complex 13:23  |  Tim 04/07/08
  20.   Of course,Israel bashers can see no good 13:32  |  Hastaroth 04/07/08
  21.   You must have to read a lot of foreign newspapers... 13:40  |  Aphemia 04/07/08
  22.   5 khalid from Lebanon 13:50  |  larry from maine 04/07/08
  23.   Well done again, our tiny country and my pity to the envious 13:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/07/08
  24.   @indrajaya 13:57  |  Ralph 04/07/08
  25.   Mehmet Flight 455 14:06  |  Aby 04/07/08
  26.   an othe Myth from Israel complex! 14:09  |  Pierre 04/07/08
  27.   the Wiesenthal lies 14:10  |  A `contra` expert 04/07/08
  28.   Call it mercenaries instead `experts` 14:17  |  Manolo the `contra` 04/07/08
  29.   Israel couldn`t rescue 2 soldiers in Lebanon 14:18  |  jack 04/07/08
  30.   to # 5 Khaled from Beirut 14:21  |  MR 04/07/08
  31.   If the zionist regime is so smart why existing on handouts? 14:21  |  Historian 04/07/08
  32.   Mehmet - Cubans in Angola 14:29  |  Yubano1948 04/07/08
  33.   indrajaya, of course we are afraid 14:30  |  Jack 04/07/08
  34.   and how the hell must be? 14:34  |  Manolo 04/07/08
  35.   Tim 14:39  |  the truth 04/07/08
  36.   Manolo, the "expert" 14:43  |  the truth 04/07/08
  37.   Bien hecho Colombia. Tambien gracias a Israel. 14:43  |  Stephen. 04/07/08
  38.   No se Manolo, I don`t know Manolo 14:53  |  Michael 04/07/08
  39.   there are 170 more 14:54  |  wh 04/07/08
  40.   31 "Historian" are you paid for Red Herrings and historical lies? 15:00  |  I 04/07/08
  41.   otherway 15:07  |  contra recruitmen 04/07/08
  42.   Jealousy ,Jealousy ..tsk tsk tsk 15:10  |  zalameh 04/07/08
  43.   Colombian hostage rescue 15:31  |  Cesar Augusto 04/07/08
  44.   Pierre, it is called sour grapes, remember LaFontaine? 15:44  |  Pervert 04/07/08
  45.   contra recruitmen 41 16:04  |  ChanahS 04/07/08
  46.   #10 Lisa- Muslim Colonialism/OPPRESSION 751 No Go Zones of France 16:07  |  Linda Rivera 04/07/08
  47.   Khaled/Raymond Islamics Make WAR On CIVILIAN Populations. 16:13  |  Linda Rivera 04/07/08
  48.   #30 - UN Resolution 1701 BETRAYED Israel, Lebanon & Free World 16:27  |  Linda Rivera 04/07/08
  49.   thanks to the FARC 16:34  |  Tina 04/07/08
  50.   ABY you are wrong on angola and I am aetheist 16:36  |  mehmet 04/07/08
  51.   I agree with Khaled 16:39  |  JN 04/07/08
  52.   Mehmet 16:47  |  the truth 04/07/08
  53.   JN, @51 16:55  |  Omayra 04/07/08
  54.   Well done Israel, and well done, wonderful Colombia 16:58  |  Rafael of australia 04/07/08
  55.   Khaled`s Misplaced Angst #5 16:58  |  FOX 04/07/08
  56.   Uribe´s way... 17:02  |  Leandro 04/07/08
  57.   mehmet 50 - yeah yeah, America 17:10  |  ChanahS 04/07/08
  58.   Mehmet, #50 In Fear of Responsibility 17:10  |  FOX 04/07/08
  59.   Israel is the light to nations . 17:20  |  TOMY 04/07/08
  60.   even more interesting.... 17:50  |  alan 04/07/08
  61.   Fox, then how come they so comfortably arrest people here ? 17:52  |  mehmet 04/07/08
  62.   To Tim and Pierre 18:36  |  Luis Fischman 04/07/08
  63.   To the French non-reader 18:37  |  Miklos 04/07/08
  64.   The student became better than the teacher 18:38  |  Daniel 04/07/08
  65.   Colombian hostage resque 18:54  |  Erdinch 04/07/08
  66.   A great duo! 19:09  |  Blisterina Tartman 04/07/08
  67.   Mehmet, what was that about #61 19:10  |  FOX 04/07/08
  68.   Thank you Israel 19:17  |  Jad Alber 04/07/08
  69.   khaled 19:50  |  alan 04/07/08
  70.   Maybe the Sayeret vets can free us from olmert? 19:51  |  Arie 04/07/08
  71.   FARC & CHAVEZ 19:54  |  Iskander 04/07/08