Elhanan Tannenbaum, was a "shady businessman and a colonel in the reserves" in the IDF who was captured by Hezbollah.
21 Facts About Elhanan Tannenbaum
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was released in a prisoner exchange, together with the bodies of several Israeli soldiers, for 435 Arab prisoners held by Israel.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was born in Poland, the son of Holocaust survivors.
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At the age of 18, Elhanan Tannenbaum enrolled in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, studying economics and political science.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum began his compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces during his academic studies, and served in the Artillery Corps between 1965 and 1968.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum then studied business administration at Tel Aviv University.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum saw action in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, and the Yom Kippur War.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum eventually reached the rank of Colonel in the Artillery Corps reserves.
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In 2000, Elhanan Tannenbaum, who was in debt due to gambling and business failures, was approached by his childhood friend Qais Obeid, an Israeli-Arab, who was working for Hezbollah, and who had previously been tried by an IDF military court in the Gaza Strip for a planned operation to abduct an Israeli in Gaza and taking him to Lebanon by boat.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was told he would have to fly to Dubai, and his role would be to consult Obeid on how to smuggle drugs into Israel.
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In December 2006, Elhanan Tannenbaum admitted to having knowingly gone to Dubai in 2000 to complete a drug deal, and said that he had expected to make $200,000 on the deal.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was met there by a man holding a sign with his name, who took him to a limousine.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum claimed that he was then driven to an affluent neighborhood in Dubai, where he was attacked by two or three individuals and blacked out after being beaten with a club.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was then flown to Lebanon on a private plane.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum could have exposed the details of Israel's war plans to Hezbollah.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum was released in January 2004 as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum agreed to a plea bargain and admitted to the reasons behind his travel to Dubai and described the details of his capture.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum continued to be heavily in debt from his past dealings, owing payment to the National Insurance Institute, mortgage debts, compensation for bad checks, as well as other debts along with monthly alimony to his ex-wife.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum told the court that at the time, he had no source of income and was living in his sister's home.
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Elhanan Tannenbaum married in 1971, and had a son, Ori, and a daughter, Keren.
21.
Elhanan Tannenbaum died on 7 October 2024, at the age of 78.