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Last update - 00:00 04/07/2008 Colombia hostage rescue: the Israeli angle By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies Tags: Bentacourt, FARC, Colombia  Click here for more articles by Yossi Melman 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. Advertisement 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. 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. Bookmark to del.icio.us   First night in Cairo Gideon Levy recalls his trip to cover the first talks between Israel and Egypt. Collective suicide New book analyzing suicide notes of Israeli Jews offers 'self-portrait' of Israeli society.   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   72.   #19--Tim Oh, really? 20:04  |  michhell 04/07/08   73.   #5 Khaled Lebanese Hypocrisy 20:13  |  EgyptJewRefugee 04/07/08   74.   #26--Pierre qui roule n`amasse pas mousse 20:18  |  michhell 04/07/08   75.   No thing to do with Israel 21:08  |  Imad 04/07/08   76.   rescue 21:25  |  ilse pinkus 04/07/08   77.   "FARC Rescue" = $20million payoff 21:33  |  Arioch 04/07/08   78.   # 5 Khaled 21:53  |  luna 04/07/08   79.   # 54 Rafael 22:08  |  luna 04/07/08   80.   #75 Imad 22:18  |  luna 04/07/08   81.   relaxed answer to FOX, iraq, tukey, islamists, arrests etc. etc. 22:27  |  mehmet 04/07/08   82.   Why the CNN or fox and MSNBC doesn?t reviles this news 22:49  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 04/07/08   83.   Someone wanna proves Santa Claus` existence 22:56  |  Rickie 04/07/08   84.   #59 Tomy 23:08  |  Ishak 04/07/08   85.   Is that after you sold the attack helicopters 23:31  |  Raden 04/07/08   86.   Message to 5 - support you as a Jew 23:35  |  c 04/07/08   87.   support to 14 23:38  |  d 04/07/08   88.   Felicitations for ta liberation Ingrid Betancourt 00:19  |  Lebanese in Canada 05/07/08   89.   #75 Imad 00:32  |  HS 05/07/08   90.   I have bad news for all 00:43  |  Lebanese in Canada 05/07/08   91.   TOMY #59 01:02  |  Moshe 05/07/08   92.   The Entebbe rescue was also on July 4th! 01:14  |  MARK KLEIN, M.D. 05/07/08   93.   #20 `Of course,Israel bashers can see no good` 01:18  |  Colin Wright 05/07/08   94.   to Arioch #77 `$20 million payoff` 01:28  |  Colin Wright 05/07/08   95.   Colin Wright 02:15  |  judith 05/07/08   96.   Is Indrajaya an idiot? 02:31  |  Murray the Mongoose 05/07/08   97.   What about the alleged $20 million bribe? 02:56  |  Maureen Ann 05/07/08   98.   Poor, Pitiful Colin: Stuck Trolling Haaretz Again 03:32  |  Tex 05/07/08   99.   Now we just release murderers and Humiliate ourselves 03:42  |  Ezequiel Levy 05/07/08   100.   Yeah, right! 04:41  |  wibism 05/07/08   101.   Judith: Hatred for Jews 04:46  |  Django 05/07/08   102.   to#17 04:48  |  the real truth 05/07/08   103.   I could hold my self from laughingin so hard 05:09  |  ahmad abouali 05/07/08   104.   Happy news for colombia and freedom everywhere 05:16  |  kevin 05/07/08   105.   Israel couldn`t rescue 2 from Lebanon and 1 from Gaza. 05:20  |  Edithann 05/07/08   106.   # 48 Linda Rivera 05:31  |  MR 05/07/08   107.   #96 Murray the Mongoose 05:35  |  MR 05/07/08   108.   As a vet of Sareket Mankal I can say it is false news 05:45  |  Yaakov Sullivan 05/07/08   109.   Of course Israel helped out. 05:52  |  Bradidf 05/07/08   110.   Why Irish terrorists always want to pretend being Mother Theresa 07:05  |  Joe 05/07/08   111.   Israel the most moral of nations 07:37  |  Baruch Gold 05/07/08   112.   If the Israelis think they are so great... 08:29  |  yezmar 05/07/08   113.   Israel has nothing to be proud of concerning 08:32  |  L A 05/07/08   114.   #108 Yaakov Sullivan from Sareket Mankal 08:40  |  MR 05/07/08   115.   Columbian Hostage Analogy 09:00  |  Shimon Cleopas 05/07/08   116.   Stranges: No shot fired 10:26  |  Dav 05/07/08   117.   Well and healthy! 10:28  |  Dav 05/07/08   118.   MONOLO from Spain 12:13  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 05/07/08   119.   ramson paid ? 12:14  |  paulo2005 05/07/08   120.   #108 Sullivan SECOND TRY - HAARETZ 14:10  |  MR 05/07/08   121.   money for hostages 15:50  |  the true story 05/07/08   122.   ISRAEL THE DONKEYSHOT 15:54  |  JOSH 05/07/08   123.   THE DAYS OF ENTEBE ARE GONE 15:59  |  CARL 05/07/08   124.   MY GOD, HOW COULD WE BEEN FOOLED LIKE THIS 16:57  |  indrajaya 05/07/08   125.   Very clever con 19:02  |  Mark B. 05/07/08   126.   to #108 / # 114 19:11  |  NB 05/07/08   127.   Question for Mehmet or Fox if he should know 19:11  |  Tarzan 05/07/08   128.   To "THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT" from Israel 21:15  |  Lebanese in Canada 05/07/08   129.   to tarzan 23:11  |  the expert 05/07/08   130.   Lebanese in Canada. 00:04  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 06/07/08   131.   complex 01:06  |  Jonathan Wortman 06/07/08   132.   To Khaled, The Obvious 02:25  |  Ron 06/07/08   133.   to Raymond Deane 02:43  |  Judah N. Wenkel 06/07/08   134.   to FOX of Karkur & Linda Riviera.... 02:56  |  Judah N. Wenkel 06/07/08   135.   Khaled 05:17  |  Rambo 06/07/08   136.   Colombian rescue 07:35  |  Fanny Korn 06/07/08   137.   Brought to you by "BLOCKBUSTER" rated: yeah right! 09:43  |  PADDY 06/07/08   138.   #135 Rambo 12:42  |  David 06/07/08   139.   yae the porto-rican jew 19:39  |  wh 06/07/08   140.   Colombia Hostage Rescue: the Israeli anglr 08:57  |  Lola Mento 07/07/08   141.   Israel Pride/Ignorance 20:04  |  Pat Bateman 29/03/09

Read & React Report: Israel used unmanned drones to attack Sudan convoys Responses: 99 Editorial / IDF lets rabbis blur boundaries between religion and state Responses: 41 Zvi Bar'el / Comprehensive Mideast peace is a fantasy Responses: 47 Ex-Iranian minister: Germany soft on Iran due to financial considerations Responses: 41 Iran to complete hospital that Israel started building in Mauritania Responses: 35 More Headlines 21:27 Hamas: Shalit case won't remain open forever 19:21 Israel to strip Hamas prisoners' rights as pressure over Shalit 18:21 Shin Bet: Nearly 70 tons of explosives smuggled into Gaza since IDF op 21:19 Pentagon chief: Economic sanctions on Iran better than diplomacy 19:01 Israel to invest NIS 6 million in Pope's visit to Nazareth 18:00 Palestinian youth orchestra disbanded over concert for Holocaust survivors 18:24 Iran to complete hospital that Israel started building in Mauritania 23:11 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel 19:42 U.S. rights groups petition Obama to send delegation to Durban II 08:48 Report: Israel used unmanned drones to attack Sudan convoys 19:20 JEWISH WORLD / No citizenship without loyalty? Then why let Israelis vote from abroad? 16:27 Settlers using government transition to step up construction 18:22 Olmert: I hope Netanyahu will continue path my government set 21:17 Olmert allocates NIS 10 million to tackle organized crime 09:35 A comprehensive Mideast peace is a fantasy 09:34 IDF lets rabbis blur boundaries between religion and state Previous Editions Select Day 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 22 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 15 mar

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