The Criminal Element meets Doha 12 in my latest review: Fauda is a vivid, fast-paced Israeli political thriller that features kinetic storytelling, expertly played tension, and highly authentic action sequences. It also finds time to present the human side of a conflict that’s become dehumanized over the decades. Its two…
Don’t Make Her Mad, Middle East Edition
We’re used to seeing the Islamic world’s women as victims. From old-fashioned discrimination to rape, torture, mutilation and murder, it’s tough having two X chromosomes in some of the more regressive Moslem states, especially in the Middle East. But in the developing long war against the Daesh (or ISIS or…
Building 30th Street Station
NOTE: This post originally appeared on Novel Travelist on 26 Oct 2013. Sadly, Novel Travelist is going away. I’m reposting here so the information will live on after that site disappears. In my international thriller Doha 12, assassins follow Our Heroes Jake Eldar and Miriam Schaffer to Philadelphia’s 30th Street…
Mossad as Superspy: Is the Myth Slipping?
Nathan Abrams, a professor of film studies in the UK, has written an opinion piece in The Conversation, the title of which says everything you need to know about it: “Mossad Agents Were Suave and Effective on Screen, Now They’re Ineffective Blunderers.” Is he right? In another brush with the…
The Honourable Woman: Trapped Inside the Feedback Loop
[It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything even remotely related to my international thriller Doha 12, but this certainly qualifies. It also marks my return to Criminal Element after a long hiatus. Enjoy.] Like the Cold War, the endless Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the dramatist’s gift that keeps on giving….
Doha 12 Escapes Cyberspace
Doha 12 has broken out of the Internet and is now available in the real world. Both Doha 12 and South are available on the Espresso bookmaking machine. These machines are essentially large, high-quality printers that can produce a trade paperback in a few minutes. You go to the store,…
Great interview on Seeley James’ blog
Seeley James, author of The Geneva Decision and its sequel Bring It, just put up an interview with me on his blog. This one asks questions that aren’t the usual author-interview questions, so even if you’ve seen some of the others, it’s not the same. Another bonus: he’s got me up…
Funding Israel’s Spooks
In case you’ve been dying to know how the Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel’s CIA and FBI, respectively) are funded in the state budget, Haaretz is there for you with an explanation of how Israel keeps its secret agencies’ money secret. Apparently, the appropriations are masked in a line item…
Mossad Looking for a Few Good Spies
It had to happen: the Mossad, Israel’s answer to the CIA, is taking applications online. According to Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot, if you’re one of those “challenge-loving people,” you’re “needed for an interesting, unconventional and dynamic position.” It involves “short and numerous trips abroad” as well as an “unconventional…
Women in the IDF: Still Not All-In
Miriam has brought (don’t ask) to my attention an interview in today’s Los Angeles Times with Major General Orna Barbivai, Israel’s highest-ranking female officer and commander of the Israeli Defense Forces’ Manpower Directorate. In it, MGen Barbivai talks about some of the challenges of integrating two almost diametrically opposed groups…