Former Israeli lawmaker Michael Bar-Zohar and Veteran journalist Nissim Mishal have brought out a book called The Mossad Amazons, revealing previously untold secrets about the work of female operatives of one of the world's most famous spy organisations. The tell-all focuses on the stories of several women, who played prominent roles in Mossad operations – from infiltrating foreign governments in order to obtain intelligence to assassinating enemies of the state of Israel.
The book tells stories about such agents as Isabel Pedro, who carried out numerous operations in Egypt and obtained schematics of the Aswan Dam, which plays a vital role in the country's food and energy security. Another female agent mentioned is Cheryl Ben Tov, who helped to abduct the whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu who revealed details of the Israeli nuclear programme to the British press in 1986.
Female Mossad Operatives Were No Strangers to Love Affairs… Even on the Job
Mishal and Bar-Zohar's have interviewed dozens of female Mossad agents to write their tell-all, which has already become a bestseller in Israel. Each chapter is devoted to an outstanding female Mossad agent; it describes how they were recruited, trained, what it took to infiltrate target states and carry out their missions.
The accounts of the agents, interviewed by the authors, paint a picture of resourceful and smart operatives, who, however, faced the same fears as any other person, struggled with the same dilemmas during their operations, and were no strangers to the more mundane concerns than saving their country, specifically finding romantic relationships. Some even overstepped the red lines in pursuit of the latter, the tell-all book reveals.
Sylvia Raphael, who carried out numerous operations for the Israeli spy agency around the Seventies, "shocked" her superiors, when it turned out she'd had a romantic relationship with at least one of her handlers. Raphael, who died in 2005 aged 67, kept her relationships secret, but the truth eventually resurfaced. Raphael's superiors described her as "an independent, romantic woman", but even for them, such behaviour was too much. It is unclear from the book, how the scandal affected the female agent's career in Mossad.
Perks Needed to Become 'Mossad Amazon'
Talking about what it took to become a "Mossad amazon", Bar-Zohar and Mishal list a number of characteristics, apparently mentioned by their interviewees from the spy agency: an ability to keep a cool head in tight situations, a sense of adventure, and the ability to "do the impossible". Personal charm was also a benefit to any female Mossad operative, although honey pots were far from being the only type of operations, where "amazons" were used.
Another female Mossad agent identified only as "Liron" shared the fact that during her employment at the agency in the middle of the Nineties she realised that being a "good-looking and smart woman" was one of her main advantages. She added that women in general "arouse less suspicion than men", which also helped her in the work.