11 of the best Israeli spy shows to watch on Netflix!

From Munich, The Spy and Entebbe to Homeland, Fauda and Operation Finale, here's a round-up of the most thrilling Mossad-inspired TV shows and films to watch right now...

By Francine Wolfisz April 29, 2020, 2:14 pm Edit

Francine Wolfisz is the Features Editor for Jewish News.

Munich

Steven Spielberg‘s 2005 historical drama retells the true-life story of Operation Wrath of God, the Israeli government’s secret retaliation against the Palestine Liberation Organisation, following the slaughter of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eric Bana plays Mossad agent Avner Kaufman, who is chosen to lead a mission to assassinate 11 Palestinians allegedly involved in the massacre. Authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, the operation is believed to have continued for^{more than 20 years.}

The Spy

Sacha Baron Cohen stars as a Mossad agent in the thrilling Netflix mini-series, The Spy, which is written and directed by Homeland creator Gideon Raff. Eli Cohen worked undercover in Syria from 1961 to 1965 and developed close ties with the political and military hierarchy, before becoming chief adviser to the minister of defence. But his cover, under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet, was eventually blown and he was put on trial and executed by Syria. The intelligence he gathered was credited by then-PM Levi Eshkol as a factor in Israel’s success in the Six-Day War.

The Red Sea Diving Resort

Based on the real-life rescue mission, the details of which were declassified a few years ago, The Red Sea Diving Resort tells the daring story of Mossad agents and brave Ethiopians working together in the early 1980s to use a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of Ethiopian-Jewish refugees to Israel. Directed, written and co-produced by Homeland creator, Gideon Raff, the cast features Chris Evans as Ari Kidron, the Mossad agent who co-leads the mission into Sudan, alongside Michael Kenneth Williams, Ben Kingsley, Haley Bennett and Alessandro Nivola.

Entebbe

Jose Padilha’s political thriller, starring Rosamund Pike and Daniel Brühl, recounts the daring mission launched by Israeli commandos in 1976 to rescue nearly 100 passengers taken hostage by terrorists, after an Air France jet traveling from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked. Diverting the plane to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda, the hijackers – who were Palestinian and German terrorists – demanded the release of 40 militants imprisoned in Israel and 13 in four other countries, in exchange for the passengers. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin supported their cause and personally welcomed them after arriving in the country. With information provided by Mossad, the IDF launched one of the most audacious rescue missions in history.

The Angel

This real-life thriller is directed by Ariel Vromen and based on Uri Bar-Joseph’s bestselling novel, The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel. The gripping plot tells the story of high-ranking Egyptian official Ashraf Marwan, who became a spy for Israel despite being the son-in-law of former Egyptian President Garmal Abdel Nasser and adviser to his successor, Anwar Sadat.

The Spy Who Fell To Earth

If you’ve watched The Angel, discover more about Ashraf Marwan, the son-in-law of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was outed as a Mossad spy in this fascinating documentary. In 2007, Marwan fell from the balcony of his fifth floor flat in London, but did he jump – or was he pushed? This gripping film looks at whether Marwan was murdered for being a traitor, or indeed claims that he may have been a double agent, against the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Fauda

The third series of the hit Israeli TV drama Fauda, which was released earlier this month on Netflix, is the most explosive yet, with all the action taking place in Gaza. Since its 2015 premiere, millions have been gripped by the Nextflix show’s storyline, which revolves around Israeli unit commander Doron Kavillio (played by co-writer Lior Raz) fighting threats to his country’s security. The gripping third series, which is partly filmed in the Israeli–Arab town of Jisr az-Zarqa, north of Caesarea, features a plot exploring the issue of underground tunnels built by terrorists.

Homeland

Gideon Raff’s Israeli spy thriller began life as Hatufim (Prisoner of War), before it was remade by American producers in 2011 and became global smash hit, Homeland. The series follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a US Marine who is suspected of having been “turned” by the enemy while held captive by al-Queda, prior to returning to the United States. The show’s seventh series is currently being show on Channel 4 on Sundays, but you can catch up on all previous episodes through Netflix and Amazon. The first seven series of Homeland are available now on Netflix, with the eighth and final series on All4.

Operation Finale

Gripping drama from director Chris Weitz retelling the true-life story of Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) and his team, who covertly hunted down and captured Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), while hiding in Argentina. Operation Finale shows Eichmann’s subsequent arrest and trial in Israel in 1961, where he was ultimately executed for his crimes.

Inside The Mossad

Former Israeli secret service heads and agents break their silence and talk for the very first time about what it is like to work for one the most enigmatic institutions in the world in this revealing documentary.

Mossad 101

An eclectic group of new cadets undergo the rigorous psychological and moral training in an effort join the Mossad intelligence agency. Shtisel actor Hana Laszlo features among the cast as one of the aspiring secret agents.

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