"The book captures the thoughtful and lucid reflections of the former director of the Mossad regarding the role that intelligence can and should play in the decision-making process in Israel." —Clive Jones, author of Britain and the Yemen Civil War, 1962–1965
"Shabtai Shavit's firsthand account is fascinating, a compelling read for historians, intelligence professionals, and those of us who enjoy a real-life spy thriller." —Martin S. Indyk, former American ambassador to Israel
"Head of the Mossad is a gripping book drilling deep down into central intelligence issues. I highly recommend reading this truly special book." —Eli Amir, author of Jasmine and Scapegoat
"In Head of the Mossad, Shabtai Shavit gives a sneak peek of the critical junctions of Israel's recent security history through his personal story. The book is certainly a great resource for academics and practitioners or anyone interested in intelligence and security, Israel and the Middle East, or geopolitics." —Boaz Ganor, founder and executive director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya
“A well-documented . . . logistical delineation of decades of sensitive Israeli security and intelligence concerns. Among other significant historical events, Shavit’s tenure coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the First Intifada, the Oslo Accords, and the election and assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.“ —Kirkus Reviews
"Shavit, 80, who among other roles as he rose through the service spent two-and-a-half years living in Iran, has not written an operations memoir. Eschewing whatever revealing tales of spying derring-do he may be able to tell, he focuses instead largely on doctrine and assessment, as the book’s subtitle has it, 'In Pursuit of a Safe and Secure Israel.'" —The Times of Israel
“Time has passed since Shavit ran the Mossad, but his experience and insight are still nearly unmatched.” —The Jerusalem Post
"When a former head of the highly secretive Israeli Mossad publishes a political memoir it becomes a newsworthy event, making this book especially important. . . . In this gripping memoir, which reads like a spy novel, Mr. Shavit writes about his role in closely witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the first Gulf War, the Oslo peace process with the Palestinians and then with Jordan, as well as the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995." —Perspectives on Terrorism
"[Head of the Mossad] is a book that has to be studied closely; it’s not a casual read. It [is] written for students of history and foreign affairs." —Ami Magazine
"Shabtai Shavit, at age 81, might have been tempted to satisfy our appetite for action, but he has chosen instead to focus his memoir on the Mossad’s analytical musculature. . . . A large part of Shavit’s book considers significant changes leading to 'a new Middle East.' . . . With a dash of color here and there, he defends the notion that delicate diplomacy must begin with clandestine contacts." —Moment
"When a former head of the highly secretive Israeli Mossad publishes a political memoir it becomes a newsworthy event, making this book especially important." —Small Wars Journal
2020-06-03
The leader of the Israeli foreign intelligence service from 1989 to 1996 tells his story without revealing too much.
Among other significant historical events, Shavit’s tenure coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the First Intifada, the Oslo Accords, and the election and assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Also during this time, relations among Arab countries shifted dramatically as the U.S. embarked on the first Gulf War and the Palestinian National Authority established itself in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, becoming a political body. Furthermore, writes the author, “the nature of terrorism during this period also changed beyond recognition.” Shavit (b. 1939) joined the Mossad in 1964 and moved up the ladder during the subsequent decades, taking the reins in the spring of 1989. He was appointed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir after the retirement of outgoing director Nahum Admoni. As Shavit notes, the Mossad does not deal with internal Israel intelligence but rather with issues in the greater Middle East and beyond, especially in terms of unconventional warfare and global terrorism—a role similar to that of the CIA in America. However, the Mossad’s scope has expanded since the mid-1970s and the intelligence fiasco of the Yom Kippur War. Readers hoping for a glimpse inside the secret operations of the Mossad will be disappointed, as Shavit underscores the importance of secrecy in conducting its operations. In that vein, the author criticizes the idea of total transparency, such as in the Edward Snowden revelations, as leading to “anarchy.” Shavit’s mostly straightforward approach is consistently systematic, especially in sections such as “How To Confront Fundamentalist International Terrorism,” though he does flesh out certain iconic figures with whom he worked during fraught times, including Rabin and King Hussein of Jordan.
A well-documented yet dry, logistical delineation of decades of sensitive Israeli security and intelligence concerns.
