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…
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…
I’ve written about pieces of this book in previous posts, so I thought it was worthwhile to share my overall impressions. Spies Against Armageddon is a history of Israel as passed through the prism of its intelligence and security services, stretching from before the 1948 War of Independence through operations…
The recent flare-up in Gaza got me thinking about Miriam Schaffer – Our Heroine in Doha 12 – and her connection to that troubled area. Her experience ties directly into the history of women in Israel’s armed forces. We’ve all heard the stories of Israeli female warriors during the 1948…