Israeli Realities

Reporting (almost) daily from Israel.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

MK Ultra, the Israeli project

First semi official admission - Israel conducted business with ex Nazis


Today, in Ha'aretz weekend magazine, a fascinating story is laid out for the first time in so many words. Apparently, Zionist intelligence organizations have had dealings with Nazi officials which lasted well after the war and into the 80's. In the past, the issue has been mostly denied, albeit occasionally, ex spies or politicians admitted to some collaboration during the 50's and in connection with the Nazi scientists recruited by Egypt. Rafi Eitan, now minister in the Israeli cabinet, confided several times about his professional connections with high up Nazis. However, usually this was described as minor, sporadic operations aimed at subverting recruitment by Arab foes. In today's article the structure and extent of the special exception to the rule, was further revealed. This elaboration was not a result of an Israeli policy change, rather following the discoveries of confidential materials from the CIA.
This comes at a time when the American "paperclip" program is under scrutiny, especially with regards to unethical and problematic "behavior control" projects associated with Nazi physicians who were imported after the war. The question pops up to mind, did Israel join hands in specific scientific projects with the US ex Nazi projects, and if so, who were the scientists or officials granted refugee status and false identities, and what kind of positions did they fill in Israel.
A clue to the nature of the collaboration is given in this article, by the mention of Prof. Shalhevet Fryer, now already dead, who started and run the Nuclear R&D program of the young Israel, from his laboratory in the Weitzman Institute. Apparently, on top of his scientific skills, he was a spymaster who was involved in the Nazi connections. One of his pet Nazis was in fact the man who ordered massive killings of Jews in trucks, using the car's gasses emissions. The involvement of Nazi scientist specifically in the Nuclear arms field has been the case in the USA as well, with the famous NASA rocket project headed by another Nazi, Herbert Von Braun. It comes as no surprise then, that the objectionable and controversial "behavior modification" experiments (exposed and condemned by the US church Senate committee) were conducted under the command of the Nuclear energy commission, NASA and those specific wings of government that absorbed most of the ex Nazi scientists and doctors. Most of these notorious projects were conducted by the same scientific units that took part in problematic radiation experiments which were exposed and condemned by the Presidential inquiry, under Clinton.
It comes as no surprise then, that Israel adopted pretty much the same programs and structure as the USA in dealing with Nazi R&D for so called military and security purposes. Among survivors of abuse in Israel, the rumours implicated the Weitzman institute, the Biological research center, the atomic energy commission and various military-medical units, mostly the Navy and later joined by the Air force.
Shalhevet Fryer merits a second look, given his unique record of Intel experience starting during WW2, in Italy, later in Mossad Aliya, which was the precursor of Mossad, and later as a nuclear physicist and a spymaster. He could well be the person who headed and started the Israeli MK Ultra sub contracting project.

Rehovot - the hotbed and HQ for Nazi experimentation and mind control (the 1960's).

Rehovot is a suburban town, some 20 miles south east of Tel Aviv. Founded in 1891, by Jewish peasants from Eastern Europe, it became one of the first Jewish townships in Palestine, with citrus groves as its main source of income. Later, a sizable Yemenite wave of immigrants settled in the southern part, forming a large Yemenite neighborhood, much poorer than the earlier settlers' community. At the same time, the Ziv institute was established by Chaim Weitzman, the leader of the Zionist movement, who was also a scientist, and used his connections worldwide to raise money for this new center in Palestine. It was later named after him, the Weitzman institute, where he also established his official residence as Israel's president. Therefore, in the early days of the young Israel, Rehovot was known as the city of citrus and science. Around the same time, and at a distance of 2 miles from the Weitzman Institute, the military established the Biology research center, where secret work was done on non conventional weapons, biological warfare and WMD. Across from the weitzman institute entrance gate, the Hebrew University decided to place its Faculty of Agriculture, in line the area's character, as opposed to the urban nature of Jerusalem, where the main campus was built.
South of Rehovot the British colonial army has already built a large military air base, which served the IDF and thus Tel Noff, the IAF's largest airbase was built. Some 7 miles west of rehovot, the first nuclear plant was erected, Sorek, next to a secret military base stretching from the nuclear plant to the coastline. And so, during the 50's Rehovot was a natural choice for any exotic, scientific projects. Last but not least, just between the Weitzman institute and the Biological research center, there was a beautiful high hill, where the local Arab Sheik's mansion was still in tact, overlooking the entire region. In this huge mansion, the Israeli ministry of health chose to house a psychiatric hospital, specializing in children, and operating two large and populated closed wards for children with "psychiatric illness". The only road from this hospital to a nearby location was a small almost hidden road leading to the Biological research Center.
Rehovot also inherited a fairly large British built hospital, Kaplan which served the entire region south of Tel Aviv at that time. Adjacent and serving the same population was Hartzfeld Geriatric hospital.
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Soon after independence a flux of Jewish American scientist and physicians swarmed the little town of Rehovot. The official residence units of the Weitzman institute were full, and so a sort "campus" neighborhood evolved gradually south of the institute border well into the center the Rehovot. This was the "northern upper class" part of town, where mostly scientists lived, either permanently or as temporary guest of any of the various institute mentioned above. From a "peasant town" with a Yemenite working class addition, Rehovot turned into a small scaled "Berkeley". The flux of scientists attracted educated families to relocate and the nature of the town has changed and was now split clearly between landowners (farmers and peasants), Yemenites and Olim, and the prominent science community, with its eyes on American cultural appearances. Politically, Rehovot was a tense town, with charged conflicts, resulting in poor local management and constant corruption scandals.
In this atmosphere, the local MK ultra programs crept into the community.

to be continued
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