The former head of the Mossad, Major General Zvi Zamir, was buried today (Wednesday) in the Ramat Hasharon cemetery. Dadi Barnea, the current head of the Mossad, spoke in his memory and compared the situation during Zamir's tenure to the state of war in which Israel finds itself today.
"Even today we are in the midst of a war - and the Mossad, today as 50 years ago, is obligated to settle accounts with the murderers who raided the Gaza envelope on October <>, with the planners and with those who sent them. Said Dedi Barnea, adding: "It will take time, as it took after the Munich massacre - but our hand will reach them wherever they are."
Zvi Zamir (archive), photo: Gideon Markowitz
The Mossad chief also threatened anyone planning to harm the State of Israel: "Every Arab mother should know that if her son participated, directly or indirectly, in the October 7th massacre, his blood is in his head."
At the beginning of his speech, Barnea eulogized Zamir and spoke about his life: "Zamir was a deeply rooted Israeli in all his limbs. His life path was a glorious one of service, characteristic of the generation that founded the state. His years at the institution were turbulent. Palestinian terrorism has raised its head.
, an Israeli tank in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War. Photo: David Rubinger
"Zamir was one of the commanders in the field. It was Mossad chief Zvika Zamir who himself received, fifty years ago, the warning that war was about to break out between Israel, Egypt and Syria the next day, on Yom Kippur. He met in London with the source who brought the warning and wrote the detailed telegram informing the prime minister of the war that would begin simultaneously on both fronts. He even offered to publicly disclose the information in order to prove to the enemy that his plans were known to Israel and to deter him from carrying them out.
"Unfortunately, the excellent, unprecedented information received from many Mossad sources in the two years preceding the Yom Kippur War was to no avail. It remained as an open wound in Zamir's heart for the rest of his life.
"Alongside being a commander who is always in the field, Zamir deepened the design of the Mossad as an orderly security body, operating systematically, and consistently building its ability to operate independently.
Mossad Director Dedi Barnea, Photo: Gideon Markowitz
At the end of his eulogy, Barnea promised Zamir to continue on his way: "From your grave Zvika, I promise you to educate future generations of Mossad fighters and employees in the spirit of your heritage, tenacious fighting spirit, standing up for opinions even when they are unpopular, and the spirit of responsibility to the Mossad and its employees.We bow our heads, Zvika, in your memory. Blessed is the organization whose commander it was. May his memory be blessed."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us