Honey trap is a fair game as long as it is flirting, says a female Mossad spy in an interview with Hebrew-language Lady Globes newspaper. The newspaper managed to interview five of Israel’s female spies who dwelled on various issues including female charms they use in their work. Speaking over the limits of Femme fatale role, agent Yael says that femininity use is allowed but Mossad doesn’t approves sleeping with the enemy. “Women agents are not used for sexual purposes. We flirt, but the line is drawn at sex,” she says.
Mossad’s female agents are seldom in news but agent ‘Cindy’ is a much publicised case where she lured Dimona Nuclear plant technician Mordechai Vanunu, drugged him and dragged him to Israel to face trial for selling Israeli nuclear secrets to Sunday Times. “A man has less chance of accessing a forbidden area than a smiling female has,” says agent Yael.
For work they may play a role of business women one day and then a beggar next day, but life is not all so glamorous like the James Bond girls. A lot of them are mothers and wives. Agent Efrat (38 yrs) who is the deputy head of a division and oversees agents including men, once fell in love with a fellow agent and is now mother of three. Another agent Ella says ” when I leave the safety of my home, my husband and three small kids sleeping safely in their beds, it leaves with tears and a lump in my throat.”
Recruiting female agents is hard because the lifestyle is too demanding for many women who are raising a family. Most of the female agents are single. Some simply buckle under the pressure.
On gender equality, the female operatives say that there is no bias. They get paid as much as the men and Mossad has women at very senior positions. “There is no difference in wages between men and women to the level of the shekel,” say the women operatives. Agent Efrat says “It is the only country that allows women to be allowed in a combat mission, to exercise the ability to protect the country equally with that of men, as a fighter pilot. Elsewhere they are not allowed to do that.”
What if they are caught? “If I’m working in an enemy country and if I am caught, life will be no different from what is perceived as friendly country and spend my life in prison,” says agent Efrat.
Why do you they it?
“Willingness to sacrifice for the sake of national security is common reason,” says agent Efrat. “This is Addictive. In this way of life, you’re always in motion, perpetual motion, adrenaline, this is something very difficult for me to live without.”
“I liken it to pilot of a space plane (astronaut), who after the task asks himself: What now? …. Campaign require 100% skill…,” says agent Yael.
Ok! One more question. How do they cope up with failure and fear?
Says agent Efrat “There are also failures….. things happen and it’s part of the game. We have sent people (for operations) and they did not succeed… But whoever taught us not to fall – do not get up… One should not be afraid of failing. Best learning comes from failure.”
Training and self control helps in containing fear say the women.
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(Caution: Translated via online services)
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