On improbable spies - Yossi Melman in The Economist:

‘Mordechai Maman, an Israeli in his early 70s known as Moti, was used to disappointment. His marriage had failed long ago, as had various business ventures, leaving him permanently strapped for cash. But at the start of 2024 he had reason to feel optimistic. His four grown-up children were doing well, he had acquired two new business partners, and he was in love.
Natalie was a glamorous Belarussian with glossy dark hair and bee-stung lips, several decades younger than him. The couple had been living together in Turkey, Maman’s adopted home, but had just moved to Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel near the border with Gaza. Natalie had started the long process of converting to Judaism and, in return, Maman promised her the world. “He was obsessed with her and was ready to fulfill every whim and financial request,” said a friend.
Being in love can make people do things that defy logic. In Maman’s case, his eagerness to please his girlfriend led him to betray his country.’ (…)
‘According to Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, Maman is one of 39 Israelis arrested in the past year on suspicion of spying for Iran. One of their officials told me that the Iranians had turned hundreds of Israelis since the end of 2022. These individuals, who were recruited via social-media platforms or during travels to Turkey or Azerbaijan, come from diverse backgrounds: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, young and old, male and female.’

(…)

‘Maman was always looking for ways to make more money, but none of his schemes came to anything. After a shawarma stall failed to take off, Maman became entangled with criminals. He was later convicted of various offences including extortion and tax evasion. These “petty crimes”, as a friend described them, foreshadowed his eventual downfall.’

(…)

‘On the way, Eddie informed Maman that they would meet two high-ranking Iranian intelligence agents who had travelled from Tehran to see him. Eddie added that the agents would be coming with an “open cheque” and suggested Maman ask for $1m for the tasks he would be assigned.
This information put Maman in a joyful mood. After a sumptuous lunch at the villa, he met the two agents Eddie had told him about. One of them spoke fluent Hebrew. Maman tried to impress the men by claiming to have excellent contacts with Israeli criminals. The agents, however, were interested only in him. As Eddie had advised, Maman demanded $1m. They countered with an advance payment of $150,000 if he agreed to assassinate either Netanyahu or Yoav Gallant, then the defence minister. They would also accept the execution of Ronen Bar, head of Shin Bet.’

(…)

‘As a plan B, they suggested that Maman could assassinate Naftali Bennett, Israel’s former prime minister, at his home in the city of Ra’anana.
This sounded more doable, thought Maman. He agreed but stuck to his initial price of $1m. The agents said they would increase the advance to $400,000. They told him that Iran’s government wanted swift revenge for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas.
Haniyeh had been killed that July by a small bomb that had been hidden in his room at a Tehran guesthouse owned by the irgc. Although Israel did not claim responsibility at the time, Israeli media reported that Mossad agents had carried out the operation. The assassination demonstrated that even Iran’s most secure hideouts weren’t safe.’

(…)

‘But in recent years, and particularly since Netanyahu’s return to power in 2022, the centrifugal forces in Israeli society have grown stronger. A culture of corruption has trickled down from the top. Netanyahu’s attempts to weaken the judiciary have created political turmoil and polarised Israelis. There was a brief period of national unity as Israel reeled from Hamas’s attacks on October 7th 2023, but arguments over the intelligence failures that allowed them, as well as over how to secure the release of the hostages, only deepened the country’s faultlines.
Yoram Peri, a professor emeritus of Israel studies at the University of Maryland, told me that “Israeli society is sliding into a dangerous state of implosion.” Peri believes that Netanyahu’s attempts to nobble the judiciary and control the media have contributed to the “deterioration of the old traditional institutions” and a general decline in respect for the law.’

(…)

‘The young men, who could face life imprisonment, appear to have been motivated by money. “I got into a difficult financial situation,” Eliaspov told prosecutors. At the time of his arrest, he had been paid $2,500 by the Iranians. Andreyev had pocketed just $50.’

Read the article here.

Yes, love can make people do things that defy logic.

More important, Yoram Peri’s statement, Netanyahu and his cronies led Israel on the path of a failed state. That path is not yet irreversible, but the damage is clear to anyone willing to see, and the Iranian success of recruiting spies in Israel is just a sign of the damage.

It’s hard not to feel pity for people spending their lives in prison for some pocket money.