Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence

the commander of Unit 131suborned their subordinate to commit

perjury before the Ulshan-Dori Commission.” See also AMIAD

COMMISSION; COMMITTEE OF SEVEN.

COJOT, MICHELE.A French Jew, Cojot was a passenger on the Air

France flight 139 that was hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda, in June

1976. After the terrorists decided to release the non-Jewish and non-
      Israeli passengers, she succeeded in joining the group of passengers
      who were released and was allowed to fly to Paris. AMossadofficer
      came to Paris to interrogate the passengers who were released in or-
      der to obtain information about the terminal at Entebbe airport. Co-
      jot in particular recalled the airport layout and the locations of the
      passengers, the terrorists, and the explosives they had planted in the
      terminal. This information, together with other sources’ information,
      contributed to the success of the elite unit Sayeret Matkalof the Is-
      rael Defense Forces during its rescue mission known as Yehonathan
      Operation.

COMMITTEE OF DIRECTORS OF THE INTELLIGENCE SER-

VICES/VA’ADAT RASHEI HASHERUTIM (VARASH). The

central body of the Israeli intelligence, VARASH was created by

Reuven Shiloahand first convened in mid-1949. Its purpose is pri-

marily to coordinate all Israeli domestic and foreign intelligence ac-

tivity. The committee members are the director of the Mossad, the di-

rector of Military Intelligence, and the director of the Israeli

Security Agency; in addition, the inspector general of the Israel Po-

lice, the director of the Center for Political Researchin the Foreign

Ministry, the counterterror adviser to the prime minister, and the di-

rector of Nativwere formerly members of VARASH. The director of

the Mossad chairs the committee, and in this capacity he is responsi-

ble directly to the prime minister. The members of VARASH are

quasi-equal in their status. Meetings of VARASH occur no less fre-

quently than biweekly.

COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY INTO ISRAEL’S INTELLIGENCE

SYSTEM IN LIGHT OF THE WAR IN IRAQ.This committee

began its work in July 2003 and concluded with a report written in

March 2004. The committee was headed by the chairman of the

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