Elhanan Tannenbaum, (Hebrew: אלחנן טננבוים, born 12 August 1946) was an Israeli reserve colonel in the Israel Defense Forces and a "shady" businessman, who was kidnapped in 2000 and held for more than three years by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.[1]
Kidnapping[]
Elhanan Tannenbaum was captured after being lured under the false pretences of a drug deal. He was travelling on a forged passport. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared on 16 October 2000 on al-Manar TV station: "We have an Israeli colonel in our hands". Israel was initially unsure who that person might be, until Nasrallah confirmed it was Tannenbaum a few days later. Tannenbaum was a reserve colonel in the artillery. According to Ronen Bergman, he had an important position in the IDF Northern Command, doing 150 days of reserve duty a year and was thus privy to many important military secrets. Bergman writes that only five days before his abduction he was on duty at the Northern Command bunker in Safad overseeing a sensitive exercise: a full scale war with Hezbollah and Syria. Tannenbaum could expose the details of Israel's war plans to Hezbollah. Israel therefore decided to try to get him back as quickly as possible.[2] His capture is claimed to have been conducted by Imad Mugniyah, a senior member of Hezbollah.[citation needed] The capture was executed by Qais Obeid, an Israeli Arab, a grandson of former Knesset member Diyab Obeid, who crossed the lines to become senior officer for Hezbollah.[citation needed] Obeid was a close friend of Tannenbaum.
Prisoner exchange[]
Tannenbaum was released in January 2004 as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. The swap, mediated by Germany, resulted in the exchange of 435 prisoners held by Israel in return for Tannenbaum's release and the return of the bodies of three soldiers killed during an ambush along the Israeli-Lebanese border.[3] Following his release, Tannenbaum was placed under arrest for his illegal actions that led up to his capture. He agreed to a plea-bargain and admitted to the reasons behind his travel to Dubai and described the details of his capture. In exchange, he was not tried for any crime and served no jail time.[4] Among the 435 people released were Mustafa Dirani and Abdel Karim Obeid. These two individuals were kidnapped, in 1994 and 1989 respectively, for use as bargaining chips in the effort to secure the release of the most famous of the Israeli MIAs, Ron Arad. Fearing the release of these men would end any hope of finding Arad, his family attempted to take legal action to prevent their release. Nothing came of this effort. While campaigning against the proposed Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange Mossad Chief Meir Dagan in 2011 claimed that "[t]wo hundred thirty-one Israelis were slaughtered by those freed in the Tannenbaum exchange."[1]
In December 2006, Tannenbaum, for the first time, admitted that he went to Dubai to complete a drug deal. He had expected to make $200,000 (€152,000) on the deal.[5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 RONEN BERGMAN (November 9, 2011). "Gilad Shalit and the Rising Price of an Israeli Life". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/magazine/gilad-shalit-and-the-cost-of-an-israeli-life.html?sq=hezbollah%20tannenbaum%20drug&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=print. Retrieved Jan 6 2012.
- ↑ Bergman, Ronen, The Secret War with Iran: The 30-Year Clandestine Struggle Against the World's Most Dangerous Terrorist Power, New York, 2008, pp. 261-264
- ↑ "Mid-East prisoners welcomed home". BBC News. 2004-01-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3442719.stm. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ↑ "Tenenbaum´s Saga Ends". Arutz Sheva. 2004-08-03. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/66727#.UnKGwBCzJSI. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ↑ AP (21 Dec 2006). "Israeli Freed by Hizbullah Admits he Went to Lebanon for Drug Deal". an-Nahar. http://old.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/story/B76A839BD9381B85C225724B002C5AA8?OpenDocument. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
External links[]
- ICMIS Biography on Tannenbaum
- ICMIS collection of media articles on Tannenbaum and other missing Israeli soldiers.
- Israeli captive 'lured' by Hezbollah BBC News, 17 October 2000
- Middle East foes swap prisoners BBC News, 29 January 2004
- Israel doubts freed captive story BBC News, 17 February 2004
- Israel to probe prisoner exchange BBC News, 3 July 2004
The original article can be found at Elhanan Tannenbaum and the edit history here.