Much ink has been spilled in the last 10 days, some of which was inaccurate, about the arrest and suicide of Australian-Israeli Ben Zygier, who is better known by his code name Prisoner X. Those who differentiate between fact and fiction, truth and lies, not only discover what really happened Zygier passed on sensitive information to foreigners, was arrested and held in solitary confinement until he put an end to his life but also get an idea as to the work methods of the Mossad, which includes the use of borrowed identities, straw companies that enable sophisticated penetration into countries, and merciless treatment of an employee who deviated from acceptable conduct. All of these factors paint a relatively fair and accurate picture regarding the tragic road taken by the young, ambitious Zionist who reached the most spectacular heights working for the Mossad; taking part in mysterious missions and operations, risking his life in service of his adopted homeland only to descend to the lowest troughs suspicions of treason. It seems that this discrepancy, and the knowledge that he disappointed his commanders, friends, and relatives, along with his shattered dreams of heroism (alongside the fear of an extended prison term), led Zygier to decide to commit suicide. Still, there is still no satisfactory answer to one question that has puzzled his interrogators in the Israel Security Service: What compelled him to drift astray and confide in somebody else about his work in the Mossad- Without any ideological or economic motive, or any indication of a desire for revenge, this question will continue to hover and cast a pall. It will not only continue to haunt Zygiers family and loved ones, but also those who doubt the truthfulness of claims that he committed suicide. It will confound his Mossad handlers who are curious as to what went wrong and what they could do differently in order to prevent similar mishaps from taking place. The tip of the iceberg The Mossad should have allowed for a thorough, genuine, unbiased, preferably external inquiry into every aspect of this case from Zygiers initial enlistment to his deployment, from his decision to reveal sensitive details about his activities to his interrogation and, finally, to his suicide. The suicide was investigated by Judge Daphna Blatman-Kedrai, but as things stand now the negligence attributed in her report to the Israel Prison Service and the prison guards who were responsible for his well-being are insufficient to dispel the suspicions that even if Prisoner X was not executed (a few members of Knesset who submitted inquiries to various defense officials can rest assured that he was not executed), then the means of pressure that were applied on him during his detention and interrogation surely led to his demise. These suspicions gained currency not only because details of the case were hidden from the public, but also because they were concealed from the supervisory agencies, chief among them the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees Subcommittee for Secret Services. The fact that the chief watchdogs of the defense establishment, Tzachi Hanegbi and Shaul Mofaz, publicly raised eyebrows over the fact that they had no knowledge of the case in real time even though they occupied the chairmanship of the committee, caused a great deal of damage and painted the Mossad in a negative light. Perhaps this can innocently be explained by the fact that Zygiers suicide took place during the transition period between Meir Dagans stewardship of the Mossad and the ascendancy of his successor, Tamir Pardo. Still, this was a strategic blunder which not only contravenes the ethics of good governance but also denied the Mossad its chief line of defense in times of controversy. Since it did not provide adequate initial cooperation, now the Mossad will be expected to display full transparency in hindsight, as it will be the subject of an investigation by the subcommittee. Contrary to press reports, the Mossad did not oppose the inquiry. In fact, it was active in ensuring its formation, not just to clear its name from any suspicions, but also to get assistance from lawmakers in the loop who can help in damage control. Judging by the reports that have emerged thus far, the potential for operational, intelligence, and diplomatic damage is significant. Relations between Israel and Australia are just the tip of the iceberg. The fear that ties between the two governments would be harmed led to the wholesale, unprecedented denial issued by the Prime Ministers Office of the supposed involvement of the Australian secret services in exposing and turning Zygier over to Israeli authorities. Not only does the possible unveiling of an electronics equipment company that allegedly operated in Milan threaten to uncover the operating methods of Mossad personnel, but it also enables the enemy to gain a better understanding of how to cover its bases. Even worse, it threatens to complicate the status of other agents in Israel and abroad while inflicting unprecedented and irreversible damage to Israels global campaign in combating the bad guys hostile states and terrorist organizations. This campaign, of which Zygier was a part, lies at the heart of the Mossads operations. It is safe to assume that in the last two weeks Pardo invested too little time in this important endeavor and too much time in putting out the fires that were set in the wake of the revelations that emerged in the press. When it comes to Pardos job security, it appears the Mossad chief has nothing to fear. Not only did these events take place during his predecessors tenure, but the lapses committed are not severe enough to threaten his stewardship. The errors made in Zygiers enlistment and deployment into the field (if they were indeed errors, which will be a subject of the subcommittee inquiry) took place amid the lower ranks, far from the office of the Mossad director. This case does not go all the way to the top. Drawing the appropriate conclusions So what happens now? Pardo should be quite concerned about the damage this causes to his organization. Not only did the Mossad take a hit, but it is liable to take another blow in the future. Some of the damage stems from Zygier having passed classified information about his activities to foreigners. More damage was caused by the widespread media coverage of the affair and the manner in which information was leaked to the press, information that reached the hands of too many individuals, including those who show questionable judgment. Under these circumstances, to prevent the inflicting of more significant damage, the Mossad will now be required to get its house in order. Confidentiality agreements were circulated within the agency requiring personnel to show discretion when it came to information regarding the Zygier affair. The Mossad will also be required to show full transparency when dealing with regulatory agencies and oversight committees in the Knesset as well as with foreign intelligence services and perhaps with the media as well. The agency would also be wise to prepare for the worst-case scenario, in which matters once again get out of hand. The Mossad should do all in its power to avoid the embarrassing situation in which it is caught unawares. It must avoid the errors that it made in the past, like trying to prevent the news media from releasing details of the affair in order to buy time for damage control. If handled right, this case could return to its natural proportions and be prevented from intruding into more dangerous, damaging territory. If this doesnt happen, however, we will still not know the answer that may forever remain a mystery: Why- It would be best for everyone involved in the case particularly for those who are not in the loop and are not privy to the details to refrain from automatically attributing responsibility to the establishment and the Mossad. Not only is this too simplistic an explanation, but in all likelihood the answer lies somewhere deep in the psychological profile of the young man in question; the young man who wanted to be a hero but for a reason that may never be known also set in motion a scandal that continues to cause ever-growing damage.
