Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{for|the organization that coordinated pre-state Jewish immigration|Mossad Le'aliyah Bet}}
{{Infobox Govt Agency
| agency_name = The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
| nativename =
| nativename_a = '''מדינת ישראל'''<br />המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים
| nativename_r =
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_caption =
| seal = Mossad seal.png
| seal_width = 125 px
| seal_caption = Seal of The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
| formed = [[December 13]], [[1949]] as the Central Institute for Coordination
| preceding1 =
| preceding2 =
| dissolved =
| superseding =
| jurisdiction =
| headquarters =
| employees = 1,200 (est)
| budget =
| minister1_name =
| minister1_pfo =
| minister2_name =
| minister2_pfo =
| chief1_name = [[Meir Dagan]]
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name =
| chief2_position =
| parent_agency = [[Prime Minister of Israel|Office of the Prime Minister]]
| child1_agency =
| child2_agency =
| website = [http://www.mossad.gov.il/ www.mossad.gov.il]
| footnotes =}}
The '''Mossad''' (''HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim'') ({{lang-he|המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים}} - ''Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'') is the national [[intelligence agency]] of [[Israel]]. "Mossad" is the Hebrew word for institute or institution.
The Mossad is responsible for [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence collection]], [[covert operation]]s such as [[paramilitary]] activities, political assassinations and the facilitation of [[aliyah]] where it is banned. It is one of the main entities in the [[Israeli Intelligence Community]] (along with [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Aman]] ([[military intelligence]]) and [[Shin Bet]] (internal security), but its director reports directly to the [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]]. Its role and function is similar to that of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) and the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] (MI6).
==Prior to Israel's formation==
The "[[Mossad Le'aliyah Bet]]" was a small, unorthodox [[Zionist]] organization whose mission in 1938 was to bring Jews to Israel. This was done to subvert the British quotas on Jewish immigration. The Mossad's modes of operation, its ideology, and politics resulted in the creation of the intelligence agency for the Israeli government once it was established in 1948. The agency consisted of several of the existing members who had worked to establish Israel as a Jewish nation and to bring the Jewish people to it.
==Organization==
===Executive offices===
From its headquarters in the Israeli city of [[Tel Aviv]], the Mossad oversees a staff estimated at 1,200 personnel, although it may have numbered up to 2,000 in the late 1980s.<ref name="Globalsecurity">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/israel/mossad.htm Mossad profile], Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> The Mossad does not use [[military rank]]s, although most of its staff have served in the [[Israel Defense Forces]] as part of Israel's compulsory draft system, and many of them are [[officer (armed forces)|officers]]. It is assumed to consist of eight different departments.
The largest is Collections, tasked with many aspects of conducting espionage overseas. Employees in the Collections Department operate under a variety of covers, including diplomatic and unofficial.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/> Their field intelligence officers, called [[katsa]]s, are similar to [[agent handling|case officers]] of the CIA. Thirty to forty operate at a time, mainly in Europe and the Middle East.<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception">Ostrovsky, Victor. ''By Way of Deception-The making and unmaking of a Mossad Officer''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. ISBN 0-9717595-0-2</ref>
The Political Action and Liaison Department is responsible for working both with allied foreign intelligence services, and with nations that have no normal diplomatic relations with Israel.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Among the departments of the Mossad is the Special Operations Division or '"Metsada" (''see'' [[Kidon]]), which is involved in assassination, paramilitary operations, sabotage, and psychological warfare.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Psychological warfare is also a concern of the Lochamah Psichologit Department, which conducts propaganda and deception activities as well.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Additionally, the Mossad has a Research Department, tasked with intelligence production, and a Technology Department concerned with the development of tools for Mossad activities.<ref>[http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/mossad/index.html the Mossad profile], Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved [[October 28]], [[2006]]</ref>
{{Israelis}}
===Directors of Mossad===
* [[Reuven Shiloah]], 1949-1952
* [[Isser Harel]], 1952-1963
* [[Meir Amit]], 1963-1968
* [[Zvi Zamir]], 1968-1974
* [[Yitzhak Hofi]], 1974-1982
* [[Nahum Admoni]], 1982-1989
* [[Shabtai Shavit]], 1989-1996
* [[Danny Yatom]], 1996-1998
* [[Efraim Halevy]], 1998-2002
* [[Meir Dagan]], 2002-present
<!-- I removed the following quotes because they were sloppily presented. If anybody wants them back in, I suggest they find a way of working them into the main body of the article - Aniboker--->
==Organizational history==
The Mossad was formed on [[December 13]], [[1949]] as the "Central Institute for Coordination", at the recommendation of [[Reuven Shiloah]] to Prime Minister [[David Ben-Gurion]]. Shiloah wanted a central body to coordinate and improve cooperation between the existing security services{{ndash}} the army's intelligence department (AMAN), the General Security Service (GSS or "Shin Bet") and the foreign office's "political department". In March 1951, it was reorganized and made a part of the prime minister's office, reporting directly to the prime minister. Its current staff is estimated at 1,200.
Mossad's former motto: be-tachbūlōt ta`aseh lekhā milchāmāh (Hebrew: בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה) is a quote from the Bible (Proverbs 24:6): "For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory" (NRSV). (In Hebrew, "tachbūlōt" - "wise guidance" in English - can also be translated as "cunning", "trick", or "deception", all of which are appropriate for an intelligence agency.)
The motto was changed recently as part of the Mossad's public 'coming out' to another Proverbs passage: be-'éyn tachbūlōt yippol `ām; ū-teshū`āh be-rov yō'éts (Hebrew: באין תחבולות יפול עם, ותשועה ברוב יועץ) (Proverbs 11:14). This is translated by NRSV as: "Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."
<!-- Please contribute to the corresponding section in the discussion before you change this back (nos. 40 and 42)! These are not claimed to be Biblical quotes, they actually ARE Biblical quotes. The opinion of an online translator is secondary to the opinion of a proper reference, so cite something useful if you want to present an alternative reading (Aniboker) -->
==Activities==
===North America===
====United States of America====
The Mossad informed the FBI and CIA in August 2001 that as many as 200 terrorists were slipping into the United States and planning "a major assault on the United States." The Israeli intelligence agency cautioned that it had picked up indications of a "large-scale target" in the United States and that Americans would be "very vulnerable." A month later, the terrorists struck at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2001/sep/20/news/mn-47840 Officials Told of ‘Major Assault’ Plans].</ref>
===South America===
====Argentina====
In 1960, the Mossad discovered that [[Nazi]] [[War crime|war criminal]] [[Adolf Eichmann]] was in [[Argentina]] and through [[surveillance]], they confirmed that he had been living there under the name of Ricardo Klement. He was captured by a team of Mossad agents on [[May 11]], [[1960]], and subsequently smuggled to Israel where he was tried and executed. Argentina protested what it considered as the violation of its sovereignty, and the [[United Nations]] [[Security Council]] noted that "repetition of acts such as [this] would involve a breach of the principles upon which international order is founded, creating an atmosphere of insecurity and distrust incompatible with the preservation of peace" while also acknowledging that "Eichmann should be brought to appropriate justice for the crimes of which he is accused" and that "this resolution should in no way be interpreted as condoning the odious crimes of which Eichmann is accused."<ref>Argentina claimed, quite plausibly, that the "illicit and clandestine transfer of Eichmann from Argentine territory constitutes a flagrant violation of the Argentine State's right of sovereignty[.]" Bass, Gary J. (2004.) The Adolf Eichmann Case: Universal and National Jurisdiction. In Stephen Macedo (ed,) ''Universal Jurisdiction: National Courts and the Prosecution of Serious Crimes''. (ch.4) Philadelphia: U.Penn. Press. In Eichmann's case, the most salient feature from the perspective of international law was the fact of Israeli law enforcement action in another state's territory without consent; the human element includes the dramatic circumstances of the capture by Mossad agents and the ensuing custody and transfer to Israel[.] Damrosch, Lori F. (2004.) Connecting the Threads in the Fabric of International Law. In Stephen Macedo (ed,) ''Universal Jurisdiction: National Courts and the Prosecution of Serious Crimes''. (ch.5) Philadelphia: U.Penn. Press. The principle of territorial integrity (in Art. 2(4) UN Charter) At its most obvious level this means that the exercise of enforcement jurisdiction within the territory of another state will be a violation of territorial integrity <SUP>32</SUP> Note 32: E.g. after Adolf Eichmann [...] was abducted from Argentina by a group of Israelis, now known to be from the Israeli Secret Service (Mossad), the Argentine Government lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council [...] It is however unclear whether as a matter of international law the obligation to make reparation for a violation of territorial sovereignty such as that involved in the Eichmann case includes an obligation to return the offender.
[[Rosalyn Higgins|Higgins, Rosalyn]] and Maurice Floy. (1997). ''Terrorism and International Law.'' UK: Routledge. (p. 48)</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1960/scres60.htm Security Council Resolution 138, "Question Relating to the Case of Adolf Eichmann"]</ref> Mossad abandoned a second operation, intended to capture [[Josef Mengele]].
===Europe===
====Germany====
*[[Operation Plumbat]] (1968) was an operation by [[Lekem]]-Mossad to further Israel's nuclear program. The German freighter "Scheersberg A", disappeared on its way from [[Antwerp]] to [[Genoa]] along with its cargo of 200 tons of [[yellowcake]], after supposedly being transferred to an Israeli ship.<ref name=bs>[http://intellit.muskingum.edu/israel_folder/israelplumbat.html ISRAEL The Plumbat Operation (1968)] retrieved 10/12/2008</ref>
*The sending of [[letter bombs]] during the [[Operation Wrath of God]] campaign. Some of these attacks were not fatal. Their purpose might not have been to kill the receiver. Some of the more famous examples of the Mossad letter bombs were those sent to Nazi war-criminal [[Alois Brunner]].<ref>Henley, Jon. "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/nazis/article/0,2763,445717,00.html French court strikes blow against fugitive Nazi]", ''The Guardian'', [[March 3]], [[2001]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Italy====
The abduction of nuclear technician [[Mordechai Vanunu]] in 1986 after [[American Jews|American-Israeli]] agent [[Cheryl Bentov]] lured him from the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>Martin, Susan Taylor. "[http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/21/Worldandnation/The_spy___and_the_man.shtml The spy - and the man she busted]", ''St. Petersburg Times'', [[March 21]], [[2004]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Malta====
The assassination of [[Fathi Shiqaqi]], a leader of the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], in 1995 in front of the Diplomat Hotel in [[Sliema]], [[Malta]].<ref>[http://www.military.com/Resources/ResourceFileView?file=PIJ-Organization.htm Military.com Resources<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>
====Norway====
{{main|Lillehammer affair}}
On July 21, 1973, [[Ahmed Bouchiki]], a [[Morocco|Moroccan]] waiter in [[Lillehammer]], [[Norway]], was killed by Mossad while walking with his pregnant wife. He had been mistaken for [[Ali Hassan Salameh]], one of the leaders of [[Black September (group)|Black September]], the [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] group responsible for the [[Munich massacre]], who had been given shelter in Norway. The Mossad agents had used fake [[Passport Canada|Canadian passports]], which angered the Canadian government. Six Mossad agents were arrested, and the incident became known as the [[Lillehammer affair]].<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E6DA1639F93BA15752C0A960958260 Israelis to Compensate Family of Slain Waiter - New York Times]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,903989,00.html?internalid=ACA Fatal Error]</ref><ref>[http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0198/9801026.htm Canadian Press Calls for Inquiry into Allegations Regarding Mossad Use of Passports]</ref>
====Bosnia and Herzegovina====
Assisted in air and overland evacuations of the Jews from war-torn [[Sarajevo]] to Israel in 1992.
===Middle East===
====Egypt====
*Directed failed framing and infiltration of Egypt, [[Lavon Affair]] , 1954
*Directed missions for Israeli spy [[Wolfgang Lotz]] in Egypt 1957-1965.
*Provision of intelligence on the [[Egyptian Air Force]] for [[Operation Focus]], the opening airstrike of the [[Six-Day War]].
*[[Operation Bulmus 6]] - Intelligence assistance in the Commando Assault on [[Green Island, Egypt]] during the [[War of Attrition]].
====Iran====
=====Iran 1960s=====
Prior to the [[Iranian Revolution]] of 1978–79 in Iran, [[SAVAK]] (Organization of National Security and Information), the Iranian [[secret police]] and intelligence service was created under the guidance of United States and Israeli intelligence officers in 1957 to protect the regime of the [[Mohammad Reza Shah|shah]] by arresting, torturing, and executing the dissidents (especially Leftists). After security relations between the [[United States]] and Iran grew more distant in the early 1960s which led the [[CIA]] training team to leave [[Persia]], Mossad became increasingly active in Iran, "training SAVAK personnel and carrying out a broad variety of joint operations with SAVAK."<ref>[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v5f3/v5f3a002.html CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) IN PERSIA.] In ''[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]]''. Retrieved July 03, 2008</ref><ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ir0187) SAVAK], ''Library of Congress Country Studies''. Retrieved July 03, 2008</ref>
=====Iran 2007=====
It was alleged by private intelligence agency [[Stratfor]], based on "sources close to Israeli intelligence", that Dr. [[Ardeshir Hosseinpour]], a scientist involved in the [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iranian nuclear program]], was killed by the Mossad on [[January 15]], [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=283793 |title=Geopolitical Diary: Israeli Covert Operations in Iran |accessdate=2007-02-04 | accessmonthday = |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=[[2007-02-02]] |year= |month= |format=HTML |work= |publisher=[[Stratfor]] |pages= |language=English |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=}} (requires premium subscription)</ref>
A US intelligence official told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that Israel orchestrated the defection of Iranian general [[Ali Reza Askari]] on [[February 7]], [[2007]].<ref>Linzer, Dafna. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030702241.html Former Iranian Defense Official Talks to Western Intelligence]", ''The Washington Post'', March 8, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007.</ref> This has been denied by Israeli spokesman [[Mark Regev]]. ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]]'' reported that Askari had been a Mossad asset since 2003, and left only when his cover was about to be blown.<ref>Mahnaimi, Uzi. "[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1497034.ece Defector spied on Iran for years]", ''The Sunday Times'', March 11, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2007.</ref>
====Iraq====
Assistance in the defection and rescuing of the family of [[Munir Redfa]], an [[Iraq]]i pilot who defected and flew his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG 21]] to Israel in 1966.
Operation Sphinx<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/> - Between 1978 and 1981, obtained highly sensitive information about Iraq's [[Osirak]] [[nuclear reactor]] by recruiting an Iraqi nuclear scientist in France. On [[April 5]], [[1979]], the Mossad destroyed 60 percent of the Iraqi reactor components being built in France; "[An] environmental organization named ''Groupe des écologistes français'', unheard of before this incident, claimed credit for the blast."<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/> The reactor was subsequently destroyed by [[Operation Opera|an Israeli air strike]] in 1981.<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/><ref>"[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0611FF385C0C738DDDAF0894D9484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fIraq FRANCE PROTESTS TO ISRAEL ON RAID]", ''The New York Times,'' [[June 10]], 1981. Retrieved November 16, 2006</ref>
The alleged assassination of [[Canada|Canadian]] scientist [[Gerald Bull]], developer of the [[Project Babylon|Iraqi supergun]], in 1990. The most common theory is that the Mossad was responsible, and its representatives have all but claimed responsibility for his assassination. Others, including Bull's son, believe that the Mossad is taking credit for an act they did not commit to scare off others who may try to help enemy regimes. The alternative theory is that Bull was killed by the CIA. Iraq and [[Iran]] are also candidates for suspicion.<ref>[http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-74-626/people/gerald_bull/ Dr. Gerald Bull: Scientist, Weapons Maker, Dreamer] at CBC.ca</ref>
====Palestinian territories====
*The assassination of members of [[Black September (group)|Black September]], who were responsible for the [[Munich massacre]] at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Olympic Games]], called "[[Operation Wrath of God]]".<ref>[http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m13s43&SecId=43&AId=54848&ATypeId=1 The Jewish Chronicle<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>
*The assassination of [[PFLP]] and [[PFLP-EO]] leader [[Wadie Haddad]] in 1978.
*The assassination of [[As-Sa'iqa]] leader [[Zuhayr Muhsin]] in 1979.
*The assassination of [[Fathi Shqaqi]], the head of [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], in 1995.
*In 1997, two Mossad agents were caught in [[Jordan]], which had signed a peace treaty with Israel, on a mission to assassinate Sheikh [[Khaled Mashal]], a leader of [[Hamas]], by spraying him with [[poison]] at a pro-Hamas rally in [[Amman]]. Again, they were using fake Canadian passports. This led to a diplomatic row with Canada and Jordan. Israel was forced to provide the [[antidote]] to the poison and to release around 70 Palestinian prisoners, in particular the Hamas leader Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]], in exchange for the Mossad agents, who would otherwise have faced the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] for [[attempted murder]].
*The sending of [[letter bombs]] to PFLP member [[Bassam Abu Sharif]].<ref>Guerin, Orla. "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2072849.stm Arafat: On borrowed time]", ''BBC News'', [[June 29]], [[2002]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Lebanon====
The provision of intelligence and operational assistance in 1973's [[Operation Spring of Youth]].
====Syria====
The assassination of [[Hamas]] leader [[Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil]] in [[Damascus]] in 2004.
The assassination of [[Hezbollah]] leader [[Imad Mugniyeh]] in [[Damascus]] in 2008.
===Africa===
====Ethiopia====
Assistance in [[Operation Moses]], the immigration of [[Ethiopian Jews]] to Israel in 1984,
and has a relationship with the Ethiopian government.
====Morocco====
According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', the Mossad was involved in what is known as the Ben Barka Affair (see [[Mehdi Ben Barka]]).
====Tunisia====
[[Tunis Raid]] - The assassination of [[Abu Jihad]] from the [[Fatah]] in 1988.
====Uganda====
The provision of intelligence regarding [[Entebbe International Airport]] and grant of refueling rights in [[Kenya]] for [[Operation Entebbe]] in 1976.
===Oceania===
====New Zealand====
{{see|Israel-New Zealand relations}}
In July 2004, [[New Zealand]] imposed [[International sanctions|diplomatic sanctions]] on Israel over an [[2004 Israel-New Zealand spy scandal|incident]] in which two Australian based Israelis, Uriel Kelman and Eli Cara, who were allegedly working for Mossad, attempted to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports by claiming the identity of a severely disabled man. Israeli Foreign Minister [[Silvan Shalom]] later apologized to New Zealand for their actions. New Zealand cancelled several other passports believed to have been obtained by Israeli agents.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10332767 Israeli government apologises to New Zealand - 26 Jun 2005 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Both Kelman and Cara served half of their six month sentences and, upon release, were [[deportation|deported]] to Israel. Two others, an Israeli, Ze'ev Barkan, and a New Zealander, David Reznick, are believed to have been the third and fourth men involved in the passport affair but they both managed to leave New Zealand before being traced.<ref>Hallel, Amir, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/israeli-spy-case/news/article.cfm?c_id=606&objectid=3596863 At home with the Mossad men], ''The New Zealand Herald''</ref>
== Soviet Union ==
In February 1956, a friendly member of the [[Politburo]] provided the Mossad with a copy of [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s speech denouncing [[Joseph Stalin]]. The Mossad passed it on to the United States, which published the speech, embarrassing the [[USSR]]. This was a major intelligence coup that raised the prestige of the organization.<ref>[http://zionism-israel.com/Israel_espionage_timeline_1948.htm Timeline:Israeli intelligence and covert operations From the War of Independence to 1956]</ref>
== Criticism ==
Mossad has often come under criticism for perceived excessive actions against Israel's enemies.<ref name="espionageinfo">[http://www.espionageinfo.com/Lo-Mo/Mossad.html Mossd]</ref> It has been criticized for carrying out assassinations, abductions and torture.<ref name="gordonthomas">[http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/mitejmes/issues/200105/br_asmar1.htm Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad]</ref>
==See also==
*[[Israeli Intelligence Community]]
*[[Shin Bet]], Israel's internal security service
*[[Sayeret Matkal]]
*[[Foreign relations of the Vatican]]
*''[[The Spy Machine]]''
*[[List of Israeli assassinations]]
==Movies==
[[Munich (film)|Munich]] - a film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring [[Eric Bana]] as a Mossad agent. A remake of [[Sword of Gideon]] based on the true story of the Black September [[Munich Massacre]] aftermath, about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day.
==Books==
*[[Yuval Aviv]] - ''[[Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team]]''
*[[Ari Ben-Menashe]]
* Black, Ian and Morris, Benny. [[Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services]]. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991. 603 pages.
*[[Victor Ostrovsky]] - ''[[By Way of Deception]]'' and ''[[The Other Side of Deception]]''
*Parsi, Rita. ''Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States'', Yale University Press, 2007, ISBN 0300120575.
*Central Intelligence Agency. "Israel. Foreign Intelligence and Security Services, 1979". Included in the volume "Documents from the US Espionage Den", Tehran, 1982.
==Television==
*[[NCIS]] features a prominent main character named [[Ziva David]], who is the Mossad Liaison assigned to NCIS as well as the control officer of one of the show's antagonist, rogue Mossad operative [[Ari Haswari]]. As of Season 6, Episode 25, Aliyah, Officer David no longer works at NCIS.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Shimron, Gad 2007, "Mossad Exodus; The Daring Undercover Rescue of the Lost Jewish Tribe", Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 978-9652294036
* Thomas, Gordon 2007, "Gideon's Spies; The Secret History of the Mossad", Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0-312-36152-5
==External links==
*[http://www.mossad.gov.il Official website (Hebrew)] [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Eng/AboutUs.aspx (English)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Russian/AboutUs.aspx (Russian)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/persian/AboutTheMOssad.aspx (Persian)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Arabic/AboutTheMossad.aspx (Arabic)]
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/israel/mossad.htm GlobalSecurity.org entry for Mossad]
{{Israeli Intelligence Community}}
{{External national intelligence agencies}}
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New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{for|the organization that coordinated pre-state Jewish immigration|Mossad Le'aliyah Bet}}
{{Infobox Govt Agency
| agency_name = The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
| nativename =
| nativename_a = '''מדינת ישראל'''<br />המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים
| nativename_r =
| logo =
| logo_width =
| logo_caption =
| seal = Mossad seal.png
| seal_width = 125 px
| seal_caption = Seal of The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
| formed = [[December 13]], [[1949]] as the Central Institute for Coordination
| preceding1 =
| preceding2 =
| dissolved =
| superseding =
| jurisdiction =
| headquarters =
| employees = 1,200 (est)
| budget =
| minister1_name =
| minister1_pfo =
| minister2_name =
| minister2_pfo =
| chief1_name = [[Meir Dagan]]
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name =
| chief2_position =
| parent_agency = [[Prime Minister of Israel|Office of the Prime Minister]]
| child1_agency =
| child2_agency =
| website = [http://www.mossad.gov.il/ www.mossad.gov.il]
| footnotes =}}
The '''Mossad''' (''HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim'') ({{lang-he|המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים}} - ''Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'') is the national [[intelligence agency]] of [[Israel]]. "Mossad" is the Hebrew word for institute or institution.
The Mossad is responsible for [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence collection]], [[covert operation]]s such as [[paramilitary]] activities, political assassinations and the facilitation of [[aliyah]] where it is banned. It is one of the main entities in the [[Israeli Intelligence Community]] (along with [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Aman]] ([[military intelligence]]) and [[Shin Bet]] (internal security), but its director reports directly to the [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]]. Its role and function is similar to that of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) and the [[Secret Intelligence Service]] (MI6).
==Prior to Israel's formation==
The "[[Mossad Le'aliyah Bet]]" was a small, unorthodox [[Zionist]] organization whose mission in 1938 was to bring Jews to Israel. This was done to subvert the British quotas on Jewish immigration. The Mossad's modes of operation, its ideology, and politics resulted in the creation of the intelligence agency for the Israeli government once it was established in 1948. The agency consisted of several of the existing members who had worked to establish Israel as a Jewish nation and to bring the Jewish people to it.
==Organization==
===Executive offices===
From its headquarters in the Israeli city of [[Tel Aviv]], the Mossad oversees a staff estimated at 1,200 personnel, although it may have numbered up to 2,000 in the late 1980s.<ref name="Globalsecurity">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/israel/mossad.htm Mossad profile], Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved October 28, 2006.</ref> The Mossad does not use [[military rank]]s, although most of its staff have served in the [[Israel Defense Forces]] as part of Israel's compulsory draft system, and many of them are [[officer (armed forces)|officers]]. It is assumed to consist of eight different departments.
The largest is Collections, tasked with many aspects of conducting espionage overseas. Employees in the Collections Department operate under a variety of covers, including diplomatic and unofficial.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/> Their field intelligence officers, called [[katsa]]s, are similar to [[agent handling|case officers]] of the CIA. Thirty to forty operate at a time, mainly in Europe and the Middle East.<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception">Ostrovsky, Victor. ''By Way of Deception-The making and unmaking of a Mossad Officer''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. ISBN 0-9717595-0-2</ref>
The Political Action and Liaison Department is responsible for working both with allied foreign intelligence services, and with nations that have no normal diplomatic relations with Israel.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Among the departments of the Mossad is the Special Operations Division or '"Metsada" (''see'' [[Kidon]]), which is involved in assassination, paramilitary operations, sabotage, and psychological warfare.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Psychological warfare is also a concern of the Lochamah Psichologit Department, which conducts propaganda and deception activities as well.<ref name="Globalsecurity"/>
Additionally, the Mossad has a Research Department, tasked with intelligence production, and a Technology Department concerned with the development of tools for Mossad activities.<ref>[http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/mossad/index.html the Mossad profile], Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved [[October 28]], [[2006]]</ref>
{{Israelis}}
===Directors of Mossad===
* [[Reuven Shiloah]], 1949-1952
* [[Isser Harel]], 1952-1963
* [[Meir Amit]], 1963-1968
* [[Zvi Zamir]], 1968-1974
* [[Yitzhak Hofi]], 1974-1982
* [[Nahum Admoni]], 1982-1989
* [[Shabtai Shavit]], 1989-1996
* [[Danny Yatom]], 1996-1998
* [[Efraim Halevy]], 1998-2002
* [[Meir Dagan]], 2002-present
<!-- I removed the following quotes because they were sloppily presented. If anybody wants them back in, I suggest they find a way of working them into the main body of the article - Aniboker--->
==Organizational history==
The Mossad was formed on [[December 13]], [[1949]] as the "Central Institute for Coordination", at the recommendation of [[Reuven Shiloah]] to Prime Minister [[David Ben-Gurion]]. Shiloah wanted a central body to coordinate and improve cooperation between the existing security services{{ndash}} the army's intelligence department (AMAN), the General Security Service (GSS or "Shin Bet") and the foreign office's "political department". In March 1951, it was reorganized and made a part of the prime minister's office, reporting directly to the prime minister. Its current staff is estimated at 1,200.
Mossad's former motto: be-tachbūlōt ta`aseh lekhā milchāmāh (Hebrew: בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה) is a quote from the Bible (Proverbs 24:6): "For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory" (NRSV). (In Hebrew, "tachbūlōt" - "wise guidance" in English - can also be translated as "cunning", "trick", or "deception", all of which are appropriate for an intelligence agency.)
The motto was changed recently as part of the Mossad's public 'coming out' to another Proverbs passage: be-'éyn tachbūlōt yippol `ām; ū-teshū`āh be-rov yō'éts (Hebrew: באין תחבולות יפול עם, ותשועה ברוב יועץ) (Proverbs 11:14). This is translated by NRSV as: "Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."
<!-- Please contribute to the corresponding section in the discussion before you change this back (nos. 40 and 42)! These are not claimed to be Biblical quotes, they actually ARE Biblical quotes. The opinion of an online translator is secondary to the opinion of a proper reference, so cite something useful if you want to present an alternative reading (Aniboker) -->
==Activities==
===North America===
What follows is the original article I wrote when the news story first broke regarding the existence of a system to tap into any phone in America built into the surveillance system used by law enforcement authorities. Several cases were cited where investigations ranging from drug running and money laundering to the events of 9/11 had been compromised by leaks from the company that operated the phone taps as well as phone data from an associated company that handles billing services for almost every phone in America.
The focus of the article was a single question. Could Israel be blackmailing the entire US Government and media.
The answer is now obvious. Fox News, the so-called "We report, you decide" all news network, has removed the four part story from their website. No explanation is given except for the single Orwellian sentence at the end of one of the links, "This story no longer exists". (It can still be read HERE)
Israel, purportedly our friend, has been spying on us all. And we're not talking about individual spooks like Jonathan Pollard, or small-time networks such as the 140 Israelis arrested by the FBI prior to 9/11, or the 60 arrested since (including 5 arrested who were cheering and celebrating as the World Trade Towers collapsed).
It turns out that Israel has had a potential wiretap on every phone in America for years, along with the ability to monitor and record who any person is calling, anywhere in America; information of great value even if one does not listen to the calls themselves. Amdocs, Inc. the company which sub contracts billing and directory services for phone companies around the world, including 90 percent of American phone companies, is owned by Israeli interests. Yet another company, Comverse Infosys, is suspected of having built a "back door" into the equipment permanently installed into the phone system that allows instant eavesdropping by law enforcement agencies on any phone in America. This includes yours.
Concerns about allowing an Israeli company such intimate access to the infrastructure go back many years. As reported by Fox News, the Israeli company Amdocs was implicated in the leaking of police phone data that resulted in the collapse of on investigation into a massive drug and credit card fraud operation with Israeli connections.
In a telling repeat of the Los Angeles drug case, investigators looking into the attacks on the World Trade Towers are again reporting that confidential telephone information is again being leaked in a manner that is interfering with the investigations. Again, Amdocs was implicated.
Not content with the phones of ordinary citizens in the United States, evidence has surfaced that Israel compromised the telephone systems at the highest levels of the US Government.
Now, I want you all to stop and think for a minute of the full ramifications of this. Israeli interests have the ability to listen in on ANY phone in America connected to any of the systems used by Amdocs or Comverse Infosys. They have had this ability for several years. They can listen in and track the phone calls made by anyone's phone, whether police officer, elected official, media talking head, editor, policy setter, news mogul, even the President of the United States. The Ken Starr report on Whitewater describes how Bill Clinton warned Monica Lewinsky that a foreign government was tapping their phone calls.
Few indeed are the people in America who do not have something to hide. That insider trade, the brief but torrid affair, the stolen votes, the deliberate smear, the role one played in an assassination, the acceptance of money from drug runners to look the other way. Be honest. Is there a skeleton in your closet you hope will stay there? Something nobody knows about? Well, if that skeleton involved a phone call, someone may know about it. Amdocs and Comverse Infosys. And their Israeli owners.
Just think about it for a moment. Everyone's private phone traffic, right up to the President, potentially visible to Israeli interests. And you cannot find the phone taps or bugs because they are built right into the phone system!
Suddenly, a lot of events which have puzzled observers start to make sense.
Like the way the US vetoed the UN resolution calling for peace in Palestine, despite being the only 1 out of 15 voting nations to have voted against the measure. The USA gained nothing by this veto. But Israel did.
Over the last few weeks, the people of the United States have seen a great deal of evidence pointing the finger of blame for 9/11 at Osama bin Laden and Arabs in general, evidence which is circumstantial, often self-contradictory, and in some cases faked. Yet as was reported in the news, evidence also exists linking many of the arrested Israeli spies (some of whom worked for the Israeli telecom companies above) with the events of 9/11. Yet this evidence is NOT being broadcast endlessly on the news. In fact, this evidence is CLASSIFIED. Someone has "persuaded" the US Government and the media that the American people are ONLY supposed to see the evidence that points a certain direction, and must never see any evidence that points someplace else. Likewise, the media has been "persuaded" not to report evidence that Israel knew of the 9/11 attacks ahead of time. The foreign press has outright accused the Mossad of taking part in the 9/11 attacks but the American media have been "persuaded" not to cover these accusations.
It was well known that there was an Israeli spy inside the Clinton White House. But Clinton ordered the FBI to cease searching for the mole, code-named "Mega". It is now known that "Mega" was not just Mossad spy but top Mossad agent in America. The cancellation of the hunt for "Mega" occurred at the same time Clinton warned Monica Lewinsky that their phone conversations were being recorded. This strongly suggests that Clinton was "persuaded" to call off the FBI's hunt for "Mega" with the threat of a recorded phone sex session being made public.
Because of the purported links between Muslims and the attacks on the World Trade Towers, the US Government has been shutting down all Muslin linked charities in the USA. But the Chairman of the Jewish Defense League, a group with a violent history, was arrested recently in a plot to bomb a US congressman. But the US Government has been "persuaded" not to take actions against Jewish charities, while the media has been "persuaded" to allow the story of hard evidence of JDL terrorism to fade away as quickly as possible. The Mexican government was persuaded to release the two men without trial. Meanwhile, the American media has been "persuaded" not to report on the Mexican arrests.
Israel receives a hugely disproportionate share of foreign aid from the United States, about $5 billion a year. A large segment of the US population questions the sending so much money to such a small population while so many people remain homeless on our own streets. But somehow, Congress is "persuaded" to keep sending more cash each and every year.
Sharon faces war crimes trial.
The American media is "persuaded" not to make a big deal of the story.
Israel is in violation of the Geneva Accords.
The American media is "persuaded" not to make a big deal of this story.
The United Nations accuses Israel of using torture on children.
The American media is "persuaded" not to make a big deal of this story, either.
How is such persuasion possible?
Blackmail.
The revelation of an Israeli-linked system for monitoring and potentially listening in to the phone calls of every single person in the nation at will opens up the possibility that a massive blackmail operation, unprecedented in scale, is the real force shaping media bias and United States policy.
The reality is that this nation's politicians and media leaders all have secrets to hide. Mistresses, drug habits, links to that airfield in Mena, Arkansas, BCCI cash sitting in that bank in Barbados, loot from ADFA in the Cayman's; in a corrupted society only the corrupt can reach the heights of power, and they all have secrets to hide. They are all vulnerable to blackmail. And being the kind of people who were willing to, and usually did, anything to get power, they are also the people willing to do anything to keep it. Look the other way when the drugs come in, spike an embarrassing news story or plant a fake one that embarrasses your enemy, alter the books, destroy a report, falsify data, destroy evidence, maybe even allow the military might of the United States and the blood of her children to be tricked into fighting someone else's war.
History has shown that if a crime is possible, it is also inevitable. The cold hard reality is that Amdocs and Comverse Infosys are the most powerful tools a blackmailer could ever hope for, opening up the private lives of everyone in the nation, including the secrets of targets able to control the media and US policy.
Dare we ignore this potential threat?
Or will the media be "persuaded" that all this fuss about Israeli-owned companies with wires into the phone system is just a lot of nonsense?
There is one more aspect to this issue that needs to be looked at. If indeed Israel is blackmailing our officials and media icons, it is because those who are being blackmailed ARE blackmailable. If we elect a government of criminals, we elect a government subject to blackmail. Finally, given the fact that blackmail may be assumed to be as widespread as the collection system itself is, those who persist in trying to defend Israel may no longer be assumed to be operating from the purest of motives. After all, who will defend a blackmailer more staunchly than those who are the blackmailer's victims?
===South America===
====Argentina====
In 1960, the Mossad discovered that [[Nazi]] [[War crime|war criminal]] [[Adolf Eichmann]] was in [[Argentina]] and through [[surveillance]], they confirmed that he had been living there under the name of Ricardo Klement. He was captured by a team of Mossad agents on [[May 11]], [[1960]], and subsequently smuggled to Israel where he was tried and executed. Argentina protested what it considered as the violation of its sovereignty, and the [[United Nations]] [[Security Council]] noted that "repetition of acts such as [this] would involve a breach of the principles upon which international order is founded, creating an atmosphere of insecurity and distrust incompatible with the preservation of peace" while also acknowledging that "Eichmann should be brought to appropriate justice for the crimes of which he is accused" and that "this resolution should in no way be interpreted as condoning the odious crimes of which Eichmann is accused."<ref>Argentina claimed, quite plausibly, that the "illicit and clandestine transfer of Eichmann from Argentine territory constitutes a flagrant violation of the Argentine State's right of sovereignty[.]" Bass, Gary J. (2004.) The Adolf Eichmann Case: Universal and National Jurisdiction. In Stephen Macedo (ed,) ''Universal Jurisdiction: National Courts and the Prosecution of Serious Crimes''. (ch.4) Philadelphia: U.Penn. Press. In Eichmann's case, the most salient feature from the perspective of international law was the fact of Israeli law enforcement action in another state's territory without consent; the human element includes the dramatic circumstances of the capture by Mossad agents and the ensuing custody and transfer to Israel[.] Damrosch, Lori F. (2004.) Connecting the Threads in the Fabric of International Law. In Stephen Macedo (ed,) ''Universal Jurisdiction: National Courts and the Prosecution of Serious Crimes''. (ch.5) Philadelphia: U.Penn. Press. The principle of territorial integrity (in Art. 2(4) UN Charter) At its most obvious level this means that the exercise of enforcement jurisdiction within the territory of another state will be a violation of territorial integrity <SUP>32</SUP> Note 32: E.g. after Adolf Eichmann [...] was abducted from Argentina by a group of Israelis, now known to be from the Israeli Secret Service (Mossad), the Argentine Government lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council [...] It is however unclear whether as a matter of international law the obligation to make reparation for a violation of territorial sovereignty such as that involved in the Eichmann case includes an obligation to return the offender.
[[Rosalyn Higgins|Higgins, Rosalyn]] and Maurice Floy. (1997). ''Terrorism and International Law.'' UK: Routledge. (p. 48)</ref><ref>[http://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1960/scres60.htm Security Council Resolution 138, "Question Relating to the Case of Adolf Eichmann"]</ref> Mossad abandoned a second operation, intended to capture [[Josef Mengele]].
===Europe===
====Germany====
*[[Operation Plumbat]] (1968) was an operation by [[Lekem]]-Mossad to further Israel's nuclear program. The German freighter "Scheersberg A", disappeared on its way from [[Antwerp]] to [[Genoa]] along with its cargo of 200 tons of [[yellowcake]], after supposedly being transferred to an Israeli ship.<ref name=bs>[http://intellit.muskingum.edu/israel_folder/israelplumbat.html ISRAEL The Plumbat Operation (1968)] retrieved 10/12/2008</ref>
*The sending of [[letter bombs]] during the [[Operation Wrath of God]] campaign. Some of these attacks were not fatal. Their purpose might not have been to kill the receiver. Some of the more famous examples of the Mossad letter bombs were those sent to Nazi war-criminal [[Alois Brunner]].<ref>Henley, Jon. "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/nazis/article/0,2763,445717,00.html French court strikes blow against fugitive Nazi]", ''The Guardian'', [[March 3]], [[2001]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Italy====
The abduction of nuclear technician [[Mordechai Vanunu]] in 1986 after [[American Jews|American-Israeli]] agent [[Cheryl Bentov]] lured him from the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>Martin, Susan Taylor. "[http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/21/Worldandnation/The_spy___and_the_man.shtml The spy - and the man she busted]", ''St. Petersburg Times'', [[March 21]], [[2004]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Malta====
The assassination of [[Fathi Shiqaqi]], a leader of the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], in 1995 in front of the Diplomat Hotel in [[Sliema]], [[Malta]].<ref>[http://www.military.com/Resources/ResourceFileView?file=PIJ-Organization.htm Military.com Resources<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>
====Norway====
{{main|Lillehammer affair}}
On July 21, 1973, [[Ahmed Bouchiki]], a [[Morocco|Moroccan]] waiter in [[Lillehammer]], [[Norway]], was killed by Mossad while walking with his pregnant wife. He had been mistaken for [[Ali Hassan Salameh]], one of the leaders of [[Black September (group)|Black September]], the [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] group responsible for the [[Munich massacre]], who had been given shelter in Norway. The Mossad agents had used fake [[Passport Canada|Canadian passports]], which angered the Canadian government. Six Mossad agents were arrested, and the incident became known as the [[Lillehammer affair]].<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E6DA1639F93BA15752C0A960958260 Israelis to Compensate Family of Slain Waiter - New York Times]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,903989,00.html?internalid=ACA Fatal Error]</ref><ref>[http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0198/9801026.htm Canadian Press Calls for Inquiry into Allegations Regarding Mossad Use of Passports]</ref>
====Bosnia and Herzegovina====
Assisted in air and overland evacuations of the Jews from war-torn [[Sarajevo]] to Israel in 1992.
===Middle East===
====Egypt====
*Directed failed framing and infiltration of Egypt, [[Lavon Affair]] , 1954
*Directed missions for Israeli spy [[Wolfgang Lotz]] in Egypt 1957-1965.
*Provision of intelligence on the [[Egyptian Air Force]] for [[Operation Focus]], the opening airstrike of the [[Six-Day War]].
*[[Operation Bulmus 6]] - Intelligence assistance in the Commando Assault on [[Green Island, Egypt]] during the [[War of Attrition]].
====Iran====
=====Iran 1960s=====
Prior to the [[Iranian Revolution]] of 1978–79 in Iran, [[SAVAK]] (Organization of National Security and Information), the Iranian [[secret police]] and intelligence service was created under the guidance of United States and Israeli intelligence officers in 1957 to protect the regime of the [[Mohammad Reza Shah|shah]] by arresting, torturing, and executing the dissidents (especially Leftists). After security relations between the [[United States]] and Iran grew more distant in the early 1960s which led the [[CIA]] training team to leave [[Persia]], Mossad became increasingly active in Iran, "training SAVAK personnel and carrying out a broad variety of joint operations with SAVAK."<ref>[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v5f3/v5f3a002.html CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) IN PERSIA.] In ''[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]]''. Retrieved July 03, 2008</ref><ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ir0187) SAVAK], ''Library of Congress Country Studies''. Retrieved July 03, 2008</ref>
=====Iran 2007=====
It was alleged by private intelligence agency [[Stratfor]], based on "sources close to Israeli intelligence", that Dr. [[Ardeshir Hosseinpour]], a scientist involved in the [[Nuclear program of Iran|Iranian nuclear program]], was killed by the Mossad on [[January 15]], [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=283793 |title=Geopolitical Diary: Israeli Covert Operations in Iran |accessdate=2007-02-04 | accessmonthday = |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=[[2007-02-02]] |year= |month= |format=HTML |work= |publisher=[[Stratfor]] |pages= |language=English |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote=}} (requires premium subscription)</ref>
A US intelligence official told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that Israel orchestrated the defection of Iranian general [[Ali Reza Askari]] on [[February 7]], [[2007]].<ref>Linzer, Dafna. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/07/AR2007030702241.html Former Iranian Defense Official Talks to Western Intelligence]", ''The Washington Post'', March 8, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007.</ref> This has been denied by Israeli spokesman [[Mark Regev]]. ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]]'' reported that Askari had been a Mossad asset since 2003, and left only when his cover was about to be blown.<ref>Mahnaimi, Uzi. "[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article1497034.ece Defector spied on Iran for years]", ''The Sunday Times'', March 11, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2007.</ref>
====Iraq====
Assistance in the defection and rescuing of the family of [[Munir Redfa]], an [[Iraq]]i pilot who defected and flew his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG 21]] to Israel in 1966.
Operation Sphinx<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/> - Between 1978 and 1981, obtained highly sensitive information about Iraq's [[Osirak]] [[nuclear reactor]] by recruiting an Iraqi nuclear scientist in France. On [[April 5]], [[1979]], the Mossad destroyed 60 percent of the Iraqi reactor components being built in France; "[An] environmental organization named ''Groupe des écologistes français'', unheard of before this incident, claimed credit for the blast."<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/> The reactor was subsequently destroyed by [[Operation Opera|an Israeli air strike]] in 1981.<ref name="By_Way_of_Deception"/><ref>"[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0611FF385C0C738DDDAF0894D9484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fIraq FRANCE PROTESTS TO ISRAEL ON RAID]", ''The New York Times,'' [[June 10]], 1981. Retrieved November 16, 2006</ref>
The alleged assassination of [[Canada|Canadian]] scientist [[Gerald Bull]], developer of the [[Project Babylon|Iraqi supergun]], in 1990. The most common theory is that the Mossad was responsible, and its representatives have all but claimed responsibility for his assassination. Others, including Bull's son, believe that the Mossad is taking credit for an act they did not commit to scare off others who may try to help enemy regimes. The alternative theory is that Bull was killed by the CIA. Iraq and [[Iran]] are also candidates for suspicion.<ref>[http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-74-626/people/gerald_bull/ Dr. Gerald Bull: Scientist, Weapons Maker, Dreamer] at CBC.ca</ref>
====Palestinian territories====
*The assassination of members of [[Black September (group)|Black September]], who were responsible for the [[Munich massacre]] at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Olympic Games]], called "[[Operation Wrath of God]]".<ref>[http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m13s43&SecId=43&AId=54848&ATypeId=1 The Jewish Chronicle<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref>
*The assassination of [[PFLP]] and [[PFLP-EO]] leader [[Wadie Haddad]] in 1978.
*The assassination of [[As-Sa'iqa]] leader [[Zuhayr Muhsin]] in 1979.
*The assassination of [[Fathi Shqaqi]], the head of [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], in 1995.
*In 1997, two Mossad agents were caught in [[Jordan]], which had signed a peace treaty with Israel, on a mission to assassinate Sheikh [[Khaled Mashal]], a leader of [[Hamas]], by spraying him with [[poison]] at a pro-Hamas rally in [[Amman]]. Again, they were using fake Canadian passports. This led to a diplomatic row with Canada and Jordan. Israel was forced to provide the [[antidote]] to the poison and to release around 70 Palestinian prisoners, in particular the Hamas leader Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]], in exchange for the Mossad agents, who would otherwise have faced the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] for [[attempted murder]].
*The sending of [[letter bombs]] to PFLP member [[Bassam Abu Sharif]].<ref>Guerin, Orla. "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2072849.stm Arafat: On borrowed time]", ''BBC News'', [[June 29]], [[2002]]. Retrieved October 27, 2006</ref>
====Lebanon====
The provision of intelligence and operational assistance in 1973's [[Operation Spring of Youth]].
====Syria====
The assassination of [[Hamas]] leader [[Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil]] in [[Damascus]] in 2004.
The assassination of [[Hezbollah]] leader [[Imad Mugniyeh]] in [[Damascus]] in 2008.
===Africa===
====Ethiopia====
Assistance in [[Operation Moses]], the immigration of [[Ethiopian Jews]] to Israel in 1984,
and has a relationship with the Ethiopian government.
====Morocco====
According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', the Mossad was involved in what is known as the Ben Barka Affair (see [[Mehdi Ben Barka]]).
====Tunisia====
[[Tunis Raid]] - The assassination of [[Abu Jihad]] from the [[Fatah]] in 1988.
====Uganda====
The provision of intelligence regarding [[Entebbe International Airport]] and grant of refueling rights in [[Kenya]] for [[Operation Entebbe]] in 1976.
===Oceania===
====New Zealand====
{{see|Israel-New Zealand relations}}
In July 2004, [[New Zealand]] imposed [[International sanctions|diplomatic sanctions]] on Israel over an [[2004 Israel-New Zealand spy scandal|incident]] in which two Australian based Israelis, Uriel Kelman and Eli Cara, who were allegedly working for Mossad, attempted to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports by claiming the identity of a severely disabled man. Israeli Foreign Minister [[Silvan Shalom]] later apologized to New Zealand for their actions. New Zealand cancelled several other passports believed to have been obtained by Israeli agents.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10332767 Israeli government apologises to New Zealand - 26 Jun 2005 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Both Kelman and Cara served half of their six month sentences and, upon release, were [[deportation|deported]] to Israel. Two others, an Israeli, Ze'ev Barkan, and a New Zealander, David Reznick, are believed to have been the third and fourth men involved in the passport affair but they both managed to leave New Zealand before being traced.<ref>Hallel, Amir, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/israeli-spy-case/news/article.cfm?c_id=606&objectid=3596863 At home with the Mossad men], ''The New Zealand Herald''</ref>
== Soviet Union ==
In February 1956, a friendly member of the [[Politburo]] provided the Mossad with a copy of [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s speech denouncing [[Joseph Stalin]]. The Mossad passed it on to the United States, which published the speech, embarrassing the [[USSR]]. This was a major intelligence coup that raised the prestige of the organization.<ref>[http://zionism-israel.com/Israel_espionage_timeline_1948.htm Timeline:Israeli intelligence and covert operations From the War of Independence to 1956]</ref>
== Criticism ==
Mossad has often come under criticism for perceived excessive actions against Israel's enemies.<ref name="espionageinfo">[http://www.espionageinfo.com/Lo-Mo/Mossad.html Mossd]</ref> It has been criticized for carrying out assassinations, abductions and torture.<ref name="gordonthomas">[http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/mitejmes/issues/200105/br_asmar1.htm Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad]</ref>
==See also==
*[[Israeli Intelligence Community]]
*[[Shin Bet]], Israel's internal security service
*[[Sayeret Matkal]]
*[[Foreign relations of the Vatican]]
*''[[The Spy Machine]]''
*[[List of Israeli assassinations]]
==Movies==
[[Munich (film)|Munich]] - a film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring [[Eric Bana]] as a Mossad agent. A remake of [[Sword of Gideon]] based on the true story of the Black September [[Munich Massacre]] aftermath, about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day.
==Books==
*[[Yuval Aviv]] - ''[[Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team]]''
*[[Ari Ben-Menashe]]
* Black, Ian and Morris, Benny. [[Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services]]. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1991. 603 pages.
*[[Victor Ostrovsky]] - ''[[By Way of Deception]]'' and ''[[The Other Side of Deception]]''
*Parsi, Rita. ''Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States'', Yale University Press, 2007, ISBN 0300120575.
*Central Intelligence Agency. "Israel. Foreign Intelligence and Security Services, 1979". Included in the volume "Documents from the US Espionage Den", Tehran, 1982.
==Television==
*[[NCIS]] features a prominent main character named [[Ziva David]], who is the Mossad Liaison assigned to NCIS as well as the control officer of one of the show's antagonist, rogue Mossad operative [[Ari Haswari]]. As of Season 6, Episode 25, Aliyah, Officer David no longer works at NCIS.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Shimron, Gad 2007, "Mossad Exodus; The Daring Undercover Rescue of the Lost Jewish Tribe", Gefen Publishing House. ISBN 978-9652294036
* Thomas, Gordon 2007, "Gideon's Spies; The Secret History of the Mossad", Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0-312-36152-5
==External links==
*[http://www.mossad.gov.il Official website (Hebrew)] [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Eng/AboutUs.aspx (English)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Russian/AboutUs.aspx (Russian)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/persian/AboutTheMOssad.aspx (Persian)], [http://www.mossad.gov.il/Arabic/AboutTheMossad.aspx (Arabic)]
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/israel/mossad.htm GlobalSecurity.org entry for Mossad]
{{Israeli Intelligence Community}}
{{External national intelligence agencies}}
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1949]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases]]
[[Category:Israeli intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Mossad| ]]
[[ar:موساد]]
[[az:Mossad]]
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[[zh:摩薩德]]' |