Munich: Mossad's Revenge
Encyclopedia
Munich: Mossad's Revenge is a documentary produced by Atlantic Productions
and aired on Channel 4
in Britain concerning Operation Wrath of God
, the Israeli assassination campaign that was organized in response to the Munich Massacre
. The documentary includes interviews with many of the agents involved in the operation.
Munich: Mossad's Revenge was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts
award in 2006 in the "Specialist Factual" category.
According to the producers, Atlantic Productions
, the real people involved in Operation Wrath of God
agreed to speak for the first time "to set the record straight" because of the recent release of Steven Spielberg
's film Munich
. The documentary contains interviews with David Kimche
, the British-born former deputy chief of Mossad; Efraim Halevy, former chief of Mossad, also British-born; Ehud Barak
, the former Prime Minister of Israel and formerly a member of an elite special forces unit which raided Beirut
to kill three PLO figures (Operation Spring of Youth
); and two anonymous agents the producers claim were involved in the hits identified only as officers K and G.
The producers of the documentary listed several discrepancies between the film Munich
and the information it obtained from its interviews with Mossad agents. It noted that the film suggests one group carried out almost all the assassinations, whereas in reality it was a much larger team. Mossad did not work with a mysterious French underworld figure as portrayed in the film. The assassination campaign did not end because agents lost their nerve but because of the disastrous Lillehammer affair
in which an innocent Moroccan waiter was killed, an incident not covered in the film. The assassination targets were not all directly involved in the Munich massacre, a fact which is only acknowledged in the last 5 minutes of the film.
Atlantic Productions
Atlantic Productionsis a television production company creating programmes for broadcasters in the UK, USA and European Union, both commissions and co-productions...
and aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in Britain concerning Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God ,This title was an invention of later writers, and was most likely not used by the Mossad itself. also called Operation Bayonet, was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the...
, the Israeli assassination campaign that was organized in response to the Munich Massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
. The documentary includes interviews with many of the agents involved in the operation.
Munich: Mossad's Revenge was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award in 2006 in the "Specialist Factual" category.
According to the producers, Atlantic Productions
Atlantic Productions
Atlantic Productionsis a television production company creating programmes for broadcasters in the UK, USA and European Union, both commissions and co-productions...
, the real people involved in Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God
Operation Wrath of God ,This title was an invention of later writers, and was most likely not used by the Mossad itself. also called Operation Bayonet, was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the...
agreed to speak for the first time "to set the record straight" because of the recent release of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's film Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
. The documentary contains interviews with David Kimche
David Kimche
David "Dave" Kimche was a British-born Israeli diplomat, a deputy director of the Mossad and a spymaster. He was also a journalist early in his career...
, the British-born former deputy chief of Mossad; Efraim Halevy, former chief of Mossad, also British-born; Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
, the former Prime Minister of Israel and formerly a member of an elite special forces unit which raided Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
to kill three PLO figures (Operation Spring of Youth
Operation Spring of Youth
The 1973 Israeli raid on Lebanon took place on the night of April 9 and early morning of April 10, 1973 when Israel Defense Forces special forces units attacked several Palestine Liberation Organization targets in Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon...
); and two anonymous agents the producers claim were involved in the hits identified only as officers K and G.
The producers of the documentary listed several discrepancies between the film Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
and the information it obtained from its interviews with Mossad agents. It noted that the film suggests one group carried out almost all the assassinations, whereas in reality it was a much larger team. Mossad did not work with a mysterious French underworld figure as portrayed in the film. The assassination campaign did not end because agents lost their nerve but because of the disastrous Lillehammer affair
Lillehammer affair
The Lillehammer affair was the killing by Mossad agents of a Moroccan waiter, Ahmed Bouchiki, in Lillehammer, Norway on July 21, 1973. The Israeli agents had mistaken their victim for Ali Hassan Salameh, the chief of operations for Black September...
in which an innocent Moroccan waiter was killed, an incident not covered in the film. The assassination targets were not all directly involved in the Munich massacre, a fact which is only acknowledged in the last 5 minutes of the film.