Friday, October 14, 2005

The Israeli Response to the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre   posted by TangoMan @ 10/14/2005 07:28:00 PM
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Just wanted to pass along some links to what will likely be a controversy when Steven Speilberg releases his film Munich later this year. The film tells the tale of an Israeli covert counter terrorist squad that was tasked with assassinating the Black September terrorists that were still at large. The tale has been told on a number of occassions, first in the book Vengeance by George Jonas. The book formed the basis for the HBO movie Sword of Gideon. Controversy has swirled around "Avner" the main character of Vengeance and many question whether he really ever was a Mossad agent. Here is one take-down published in Haaretz. Others are upset about the moralizing they fear that Speilberg is weaving into his film. The Sunday Times reports:


Spielberg has upset some by appointing a playwright (Tony Kushner) who is to the left of the Israeli left. Many Jews feel betrayed by Spielberg, but the rest of us will wait to see the film before judging.”


For an exhaustive look at the broader issue of counter terrorist actions, I'd recommend Countering Terrorism: The Israeli Response to the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre and the Development of Independent Covert Action Teams, a Master's Thesis written by Alexander B. Calahan for his Master of Military Studies degree at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.