Former Mossad chief - Shavit Sabatai - after retiring from a spy spy group revealed many secrets of the legendary agency he was managing. Where are the reports of the ruthlessness and effectiveness of Israeli agents coming from? Is there a grain of truth in them? Are they actually murdering the enemies of the State of Israel in a treacherous way?
- Israel must have modern weapons, excellent intelligence and technological advantage over its neighbors. It must also be bound by a strong alliance with one of the world's powers - these were the assumptions of the defense doctrine of the young Jewish state formulated in 1948 by the first prime minister of Israel - David Ben Gurion.
The world power chosen by Ben Gurion as a guarantee of Israel's security is, of course, the United States. Israel supports the United States under any circumstances, and the United States repays (in most cases) the same. Hence, for example, the surprising popularity of the dollar, which is the second currency of Israel (the national currency is the shekel), and the preference for green in relation to the euro, is surprising for tourists from Europe. The alliance with the US also allows Israel to buy the latest types of American weapons. It was like that with the fifth generation F-35 Lighting II supermayers. The Israeli air force was the first outside the US to equip themselves with these planes and were the first to use them in combat (in 2018).
Israel's secret weapon
The American ally, although militarily strong, is nevertheless far away and does not guarantee Israel's complete security, especially since the US itself is unable to defend itself against modern threats - Islamic terrorism or Russian disinformation operations on the Internet. That is why the Jewish state believes first and foremost in its own strength. It bases its defense doctrine on technological superiority, well-trained and well-armed armed forces, and on an excellent, efficient and active worldwide intelligence - known as the Mossad. The name is an abbreviation of the words "Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks."
The longtime head of the agency - Shavit Sabatay - in the book I was the head of the Mossad. A game for safe Israel he revealed many secrets about the operational work of this secret organization. As a young man, he entered the Israeli Navy, then served in the security services and army. In 1964 he joined the Mossad. He slowly climbed the career ladder, and finally in 1989 he became the head of the intelligence service. He directed the spy "fist of Israel" until 1996. This period - not only for Israel, but also for the whole world - was one of the most turbulent in the last century, if only because of the collapse of the communist system and the collapse of the USSR. At that time, Mossad was at the forefront of events all the time and Sabbathai was giving orders.
Mossad emblem
In his opinion, until 1990 (excluding short periods of conflict and unrest) the world was infinitely more peaceful and stable than it is today. After the Second World War, a clear balance of power developed. Two opposing political and ideological blocs competed there:capitalism and socialism. Due to their nuclear weapons, they wanted to avoid nuclear war and the destruction of entire countries and continents at all costs. They have reached the point of "mutually assured destruction". In his book, Sabataj writes:
The fear of annihilating humanity in a nuclear war led to global stabilization that lasted many years until 1990. Since the leaders of the superpowers were rational people, they developed an appropriate mechanism for crises, a Kremlin-White House hotline . Some states saw fit to ally themselves with one of the two superpowers according to their own interests and views. This was another factor in enhancing security and global stabilization overshadowed by the nuclear threat. Countries that considered non-aligned formed the third bloc .
In his opinion, with the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the world turned from bipolar into multipolar, which caused chaos, the consequences of which we can still feel today. Its consequence is the emergence of strong and well-organized terrorist organizations, often supported by dictatorial and totalitarian countries such as Iran or North Korea. The effect of the collapse of communism, which was fighting or ignoring religion, is "swinging" the other way and the emergence of radical religious groups - primarily in Islamic countries.
World on the edge
When it comes to the threats facing the world and which occupy the attention of Israeli agents, radical Islamic religious terrorism has come to the fore in recent years. This forced Mossad to conduct intelligence activities around the world. In the book I Was Head of the Mossad we read:
Radical Islam and terrorism have become a global threat that crosses borders, territories and regimes, endangering not only the USA and Western Europe, but also Russia, China, India, Indonesia , Australia, Egypt and many other countries. Radical Islam was spreading globally, and this requires an appropriate response, non-once and short-term, but constant and long-term. Hence, the post-Cold War era is witnessing an intelligence coalition that was once inconceivable, for example between our Mossad and the intelligence services of Russia or China.
F-35 Lighting II. The Israeli air force was the first outside the US to equip themselves with these planes and were the first to use them in combat (in 2018).
In his opinion, the agency and military intelligence Shin Bet led Israel through the period of the greatest unrest, tensions and conflicts, thanks to which it was possible to avoid serious problems on the international arena, and above all open war. It was not an easy task considering where Israel is and who its neighbors are. In addition to the currently unstable Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, there are other, further away Arab countries, most of which hate Israel and do not recognize its statehood (this situation has changed somewhat in recent months, after the signing of peace agreements with the Arab Emirates and Bahrain - ed. .).
Of course, Sabbatay perceives Iran as the greatest threat to Israel and the greatest threat to the world. He believes that if this country built an atomic bomb, destabilization would take place in the Persian Gulf region, and then also around the world. There would be more countries that would feel threatened and would also like to have nuclear weapons. Perhaps China or North Korea would be willing to sell them nuclear technologies and this - if local disputes intensified - could mean a nuclear attack on Israel and the extermination of this country, and "by the way" probably also half of the world.
Hold the atom
Consequently, one of the most important tasks of the Mossad, which has been carried out for several decades, is to disrupt and slow down the Iranian nuclear program. Mossad and Israel do it in different ways - openly and covertly. Sabataj does not hide that, in addition to "soft" methods, such as diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, as well as bribery and recruitment of Iranian scientists, "hard" measures are used. These are kidnappings and, if necessary, assassination attacks.
Israel's defense doctrine allows for such activities, also outside the country, and the elimination of "undesirable" units is carried out by special Mossad units, the so-called fighters. Probably Sabataj knows everything about the successful attacks on five Iranian atomic physicists, but he does not reveal this in his book. Interestingly, both men and women are the "fighters" or the spines of the Mossad attack. The former head of the agency reveals:
When the number of women fighting for gender equality in the State of Israel was negligible and the term "gender" was not yet in common use, the Mossad and combat unit specifically introduced gender equality at the level of practice. There was no operational role that Mossad workers and fighters would not fulfill, including in the high-level command and management of operations, while subordinates were men.
The article was inspired by the book by Sabataj Szawit, “I was the head of the Mossad. A game for safe Israel ”which was published by Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie
In Israel, it is believed that the country, surrounded by enemies on all sides, has been waging a constant war for survival since its inception. The state of constant threat - "martial law" - has therefore been going on for over 70 years! It was in such conditions of war and in the face of a constant threat that the Mossad was born and must act. Shavit Sabatay has done a lot to make this agency a world power.
Bibliography:
- S. Sabataj, I was the head of the Mossad. A game for safe Israel , Dolnośląskie Publishing House 2020.
- S. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the New Shape of the World Order , Zysk i S-ka 2018.