Two Jewish members of a Syrian-directed spy and sabotage ring admitted in court yesterday that they had contact with enemy agents and relayed information to them. Dan Vered, a 28-year-old school teacher, and Ehud Adiv, 26, a kibbutz-born paratroop veteran, insisted that their motivation was ideological.
Adiv, allegedly the No. 2 man in the ring and head of its “Jewish section,” described himself as a revolutionary Communist in a statement that police read to the court at the spy trial opening yesterday in Haifa. He said his contacts with the ring leader, Daoud Osman Turki, were aimed at bringing to power a leftist revolutionary regime in Israel. He admitted meeting Syrian agents in Athens and in Damascus where he relayed information and underwent training in weapons and explosives.
Adiv also admitted receiving instructions from a certain Abu Jamal, who he identified as his “operator,” to find out the locations of Israeli Army camps and vital installations, airfields and the numbers and types of planes there. He was also asked to describe Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona. Adiv admitted that he provided the Syrians with his personal evaluations of top ranking Israeli commanders including Air Force Commander Gen. Mordechai Hod, Maj. Gen. Mordechai Gur, now the Israeli Military Attache in Washington, and former intelligence chief Gen. Aharon Yariv, among others.
That portion of Adiv’s statement was read in camera and no details were released. The suspect said that while in Damascus he visited a synagogue and a Jewish school and talked to members of the Jewish community. He said he found their condition was good.
Vered admitted passing information to the Syrians but claimed it was not of a damaging nature. In a statement read by his lawyer, Vered said he was opposed to terrorism on ideological grounds and that his contacts with the spy ring were based on ideology. He said that while in Damascus he gave no information that could be used by the enemy against the well being of Israel.
The court agreed yesterday to appoint a new lawyer to defend Daoud Turki. His counsel, Yaacob Hegler, asked to be relieved of the assignment because of differences with his client over the defense strategy. Hegler said Turki wanted to turn the trial into a political forum.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
