Who’s Rami Ungar – the billionaire whose vessel was not too long ago hijacked – and what does Israeli intelligence should do with him?
Yemen’s Ansar Allah motion has seized an Israeli cargo ship within the Pink Sea. Previous to that, Brigadier Normal Yahya Saree made an announcement, saying that the Yemenis would assault ships crusing underneath the Israeli flag and vessels which might be owned or operated by Israeli corporations. Saree known as on all international locations to withdraw their residents engaged on the crews of those ships.
“Keep away from delivery on or dealing with these vessels. Inform your ships to keep away from these ships,” Saree stated.
The Israeli Protection Ministry known as this an “incident of world scale.” In the meantime, the workplace of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for the incident.
Unbelievable footage from the Houthi seizure of the Israeli-owned ship “Galaxy Chief” within the Pink Sea yesterday.A helicopter, emblazoned with the flags of Yemen and Palestine, drops a Houthi squad onto the ship, carrying Palestinian flag headbands and images of Hamas’ spokesman. pic.twitter.com/4DAHKA88r9
— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) November 20, 2023
Because it turned out, one of many homeowners of the Galaxy Chief cargo ship, with 25 crew members from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Mexico on board, was the Israeli businessman Rami Ungar.
Who’s Rami Ungar?
Abraham “Rami” Ungar is without doubt one of the richest Israelis, a businessman concerned within the import of vehicles and in actual property, a shipowner and chairman of the Israeli delivery firm Ray Delivery, which imports ships and vehicles. Ungar even acquired an award from the Korean authorities for his contribution to bolstering automotive commerce between Korea and Israel.
Rami was born in north Tel Aviv in 1947. He comes from a really rich household, and was educated within the UK. He served within the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) Sign Corps, after which studied regulation at Oxford College. In 1971, he graduated from the College of Legislation of Tel Aviv College, and, in 2014, acquired an honorary doctorate diploma (Physician Honoris Causa) from the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Bulgaria.
Within the late Sixties, Ungar based a small firm specializing within the import of air-con methods for trailers and vans. Later, he grew to become the primary importer of Autobianchi cars after which Lancia vehicles in Israel. In 1972, Ungar based Ungar Holdings LTD, a number one Israeli firm engaged within the building of residential and workplace buildings, in addition to plane leases.
His firm, Ray Delivery LTD, owns dozens of automotive carriers and bulk carriers. Over 1,000 Bulgarian officers and engineers, 80% of whom are graduates of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, work within the firm.
Influential buddies and ties with the Mossad
In 2019, Rami Ungar was included in a listing of the prime 30 richest individuals in Israel. His fortune was estimated to be $2 billion. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz famous that the businessman had in depth ties with Israeli politicians. It additionally talked about a scandal associated to former Israeli President Ezer Weizman, who resigned in July 2000 attributable to corruption allegations. Supposedly, Weizman acquired $27,000 from Ungar within the mid-Eighties.
It’s identified that Ungar is a detailed good friend of Israel’s present Protection Minister Yoav Gallant. The businessman purchased him tickets to the FIFA World Cup ultimate in July 2018.
One other scandal involving Ungar is tied to the previous director of the Mossad intelligence company Yossi Cohen. The Israeli businessman donated 1.1 million shekels ($341,000) for the development of a synagogue reverse Cohen’s residence. The donation was paid on to Cohen. Quickly afterward, it grew to become identified that Cohen helped Ungar settle a dispute with the Israeli businessman Michael Levy over the appropriate to signify the South Korean vehicle firm Kia in Israel.
Rami Ungar is tied to the Mossad not solely by means of corruption schemes. For instance, the entrepreneur was concerned within the a lot talked-about story in regards to the anti-Iranian advocacy group ‘United Towards Nuclear Iran’, which the New York Occasions coated in 2014. Ungar was an middleman, who reached out to corporations that cooperated with Iran and persuaded them to resign commerce ties with Tehran. Nonetheless, some suppose that Ungar’s major job was to recruit the management of the businesses related with Iran. Which means Ungar acted as an agent of the Mossad. For the Mossad, such corporations are value their weight in gold, because the Iranians belief them, and Israel can use this belief for sabotage and espionage functions.
That is solely a small portion of what the Israeli billionaire was instantly or not directly concerned in. However it is sufficient to perceive why his ship was captured by Yemen’s Houthis within the Pink Sea.
By Abbas Juma, a world journalist, political commentator, Center East and Africa specialist
You’ll be able to share this story on social media:
