עדותו של vs על יולנדה הארמר (אנ')

① My testimony about yolande gabai is based on: 1) Personal knowledge and experience 2) Study of documents on the Zionist movements in Egypt. Who am I? I was a member of Bné Akiva youth movement in Egypt from 1946, And from 1947, a member of the direction of that movement. In February 1948 yolande Gabai brought to us the list of members of the Zionist movements who were on the Black list of the Egyptian political Police. 3 persons of our Hanhala were in that list. The Hanhala decided to put 3 members of the movement, apart, far from Zionist activity, as a "shadow Hanhala" intended to replace the 3 on the black list in case these were arrested. These 3 were arrested on the 15th of May 1948. The "shadow hanhala" entered in function. I became the Secretary of Bné Akiva in Egypt. When did I meet yolande? I met her only once in January 1948. She came with Shmuel Shiftaimila, an emissary of the yishouv. She appeared as an attractive, intelligent, small blonde, in her thirties. She did not speak, but heard my discussion with Shiftaimila about Aliya of Bné Akiva members. Recruiting A small number of local jews in Cairo and Alexandria were recruited by Levy Abrahami and Moshe Shertok and Palmach members. The agents had to help in gathering intelligence, and gathering of arms. Yolande was one of them. Enzo Sereni In 1941 yolande was asked by Ben Asher to enquire where was Enzo Sereni imprisoned by the Egyptian Police. Enzo Sereni was arrested 2 on the 26th of november, 1941 and accused of possessing a false passport with a false identity. As an agent of the British Intelligence in Egypt he was given his passport and identity by the Intelligence Service. Yolande, with her connections succeeded to discover where Enzo was kept. And Moshe Shertok succeeded to release him. What did she do? As an attractive socialite, and with the cover of being a journalist, correspondant for various newspapers, especially the Palestine Post and French newspapers, - she easily entered the influential spheres of Egypt: the leadership of the Arab league, the Police, the Egyptian Politicians, the British authorities, and the members of the Diplomatic corps. She used to write favourable articles on Egyptian personalities and this was easily accepted. Books on Israeli Intelligence describe some of the operations who was later Prime minister of Israel of Yolande. Among her Egyptian contacts were Tahri El Din El Solh chief assistant to Azzam Pasha (the secretary of the Arab League), Mahmoud Mehlouf, the son of the Grand Moufti of Egypt, the Senator Mahmoud Abd El Fattah and others. Diplomats: the ambassador of Sweden, American and French diplomats, a diplomat at the Polish Embassy. She had good connections with the leading Cairo newspaper "Al Ahram". Mahmoud Mehlouf, who volunteered information, needed 1000 Egyptian pounds to finance his campaign to be elected to the Parliament. Kaouji Mrs Ora Schweizer told to the Israeli TV and the Israeli Radio station that Yolande brought herself by flying to Jerusalem, hidden in her coat, the plan of Fawzi El Kaouji's plan to attack the Northern settlement of Israel. As early as the beginning of the 1940's, she provided vital information on the Egyptian Police, Political and military information from Egypt and from 1945 all the protocols of from the secretary offices of the Arab league in Cairo and arab countries. With Pilfoul since 1945 Since 1945 she worked with Rudolf Pilfoul, a jewish attorney in Cairo. Pilfoul himself was well connected with influential Egyptians (Charles) together with a small number of local Zionist activists, the photos of protocols of all the Arab League sessions, reached Jerusalem, together with a very long list of information on the Arab states, both political and military. Translation from 1947 From 1947, I was asked to translate from Arabic to French or English, documents from Rudolf Pilfoul. While studying medicine at Cairo University, I worked 4 years as a journalist for internal affairs at the French morning paper, Le Progrès Egyptien, - and 2 years at the Arab Bureau of the Information Service of the French Embassy. The essence of my work was translation. Entire protocols of the Arab League committees sessions were brought to me for translation. Few hours later I had to bring them back to Pilfoul, since they had to be returned to the Arab League safe, on the same day. In Israel I learned that 2 other persons worked on translations (one from Hashomer Hatsair and one from Bné Akiva). The photo films of these reports were brought from Rudolf Pilfoul to a pilot, by Nissim Sutton, a member of Bné Akiva. who worked On Aliya from 1948 In 1948, Eli Peleg, an emissary for Aliya fled from Egypt on the 25th of may. Yolande worked with Pilfoul for Aliya. Yolande Arrested Yolande was arrested in July 1948 (not as others on the 15th of May) and put in prison at the Foreigner's Prison in Cairo. Less than 2 months later in August 1948 she was released and left Egypt. She was released thanks to her local connections. She returned in 1949 and remained in Egypt till 1951 when she left forever. 4 Dina In the same prison of foreigners, Dina Rosenthal (Brolsha) who was arrested on the 15th of May 1948, remained 444 days. All the Jews were released in the summer of 1949 by order of the new Prime minister, Hussein Sirry. Released and reasons. Yolande Because Azzam Pasha suspected her to be Zionist. She was only arrested only July 1948. And thanks to her local connections important she was released in august 1948. Her local connections acted to release her. They were affraid that if interrogated and according to the Egyptian methods of investigation, she might "open her mouth." Israeli pressure was not the reason of her release. an Israeli embassy Eli Pele[?] fled from Egypt on the 25th of May 1948, only with the help of local Zionists and Yolande Harman. Shmuel Shifteleich another emissary was arrested on the 15th of May 1948, put in a concentration camp at Hudesib[?] and afterwards exiled to El Tor in Sinai, where he suffered a lot, took part in 2 hunger strikes, and only in 1949 sent out of Egypt. He was very sick and remained handicapped till his death many years after in Israel. arrived After their release, Zionist activists in Israel, asked the following questions: Why did the Israeli authorities did not try to release them as one condition of the 1st armistice (truce)? They could not have an answer. The camp and files Rudolf Relfoul told the following story: He used to hide files of documents into a shila (a camp that our shlihim from Bnei Akiva built for him). One day, in 1951 he did not find the files. He searched and found them in a drawer in the same room. He was very upset. He knew afterwards that his Nubian servant while cleaning the camp opened it. Most probably he could not manage to put them back in the camp, and put the files in the drawer. things he How could I summarize the personality of Yolande? She was a sociable, an attractive Jewish lady of the high society, with cosmopolite education, well introduced to the highest spheres of the Egyptian society and authorities. She identified with the Jewish community of Egypt. As we all were, she was influenced by the news of the fate of European Jewry in nazi germany. The presence of Jewish soldiers in Egypt, and especially those of the Jewish Brigade of Palestine had a strong effect on her. She lived the political developments of the second world war, both in the Jewish world, and also in the Egyptian and Arab world. Egypt has a common border with Early Israel. And there were intricate relations between the Jews of Egypt and the yeshou. Her contribution to Israel Intelligence in Egypt was precious, especially at a time when the state and its Intelligence services were embryonic, small, poor and yet not organized. With her attractive personality, her talents, and her intelligence, and her Jewish heart, she provided vital information from Egypt, in the critical days of Israel's history. She served the Political department of the Jewish Agency, and thereafter the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.