541:, Ostrovsky's "list of charges stretches from the preposterous to the ridiculous" and the book "voyages to the far side of credibility and offers giant chunks of deception". He further calls the book "three-hundred-odd pages of nonsense, invented conversations, half-truths, full-blown lies, and terrible prose." According to Morris, Ostrovsky wears his animosity toward the Mossad, and by extension, Israel, on his sleeve on almost every page.
25:
519:, in which he gives more anecdotes and defends his earlier work with a list of newspaper articles. Ostrovsky writes that the book was written in cooperation with a "moderate Mossad faction" that he had remained in touch with since his departure from the agency in 1986. Among other claims, Ostrovsky writes that the Mossad supported Russian coup plotters seeking to oust
448:, calls Ostrovsky a "failed con man" who aimed to harm Mossad and Israel. However, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, highlights Ostrovsky's detailed allegations against Mossad, supporting his claims with corroborating articles and investigations, painting a critical picture of Israel's intelligence operations.
465:
Many of
Ostrovsky's claims in the book as a Mossad agent have neither been verified from other sources nor been refuted, and Israeli government officials & organizations working on the Israeli government's behalf continue to state the book lacks credibility, while former US Republican Congressman
558:
praised the first half of the book as a "highly readable primer in the tricks and dirty tricks of the trade" in which
Ostrovsky discusses his training and provides details of Mossad tradecraft. She is critical of the second half of the book, second-hand descriptions of alleged Mossad operations that
451:
Without oversight or orders by the government of Israel, he has said that the Mossad works on behalf of its own interests. According to
Ostrovsky, if a US senator on a military committee whose "aide was Jewish, he or she would be approached as a sayan," which Ostrovsky later defines as "a volunteer
406:
barred publication in the United States. According to the
Israeli government, Ostrovsky wrote the book in violation of the official secrets contract he signed when he employed by Mossad. The New York judgment was reversed by an appeals court on 13 September. Notoriety surrounding the book led to it
367:
from 1984 to 1986. The Mossad confirmed
Ostrovsky's employment, but, after publication of the book, heavily issued statements to discredit his employment and credibility. Ostrovsky worked in the Mossad with over a year of service, 14 months total, as a case officer. According to the
559:
Ostrovsky claimed to have heard about or participated in. She writes that while "the general outlines of these operations are probably accurately conveyed, there is just enough factual error to cast doubt on the details" and his descriptions of his accomplishments "seem overdrawn".
418:, the second half of the book discusses operations in which Ostrovsky did not participate or had occurred before he even joined Israeli intelligence. Wise surmised that due to the detail provided about these operations, Ostovsky and his-coauthor Roy relied on published sources.
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wrote that the book reads like a "supermarket tabloid" and given
Ostrovsky's brief length of service and his position, he would not be expected to possess the broad range of knowledge about Mossad operations he claims. They write that intelligence organizations practice strict
483:
of confidential or secretive information. Ostrovsky argued their point to be moot, as they themselves are outsiders and that the only information about the Mossad they have is from their supposed "sources" in the agency with a very clear agenda. Ostrovsky also points out that
443:
on an effective smear campaign. At the orders of Mossad agents & Israeli government officials, Ostrovsky was falsely accused of having an "erratic personality and a vivid imagination." Former Mossad officer Jerry
Sanders, who Ostrovsky heavily criticizes in
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criticized the book as suffering "from some of the same flaws : extensive quotations of conversations based on memory." While Quandt writes that some of the book may be true, "to sort of fact from deception is extremely difficult."
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Concerns were expressed by the
Israeli government that by exposing certain prior operations, the book endangered the lives of agency personnel. Ostrovsky maintains that he never placed anyone in danger because only first names or
515:
305:, taking part in more than 20 missions over Germany. His plane was shot down over Germany, but he managed to escape and return to active service. After the war, he joined the Israeli military to fight in the
438:
The books popularity led to the
Israeli government creating a large scale campaign effort to discredit the author. Mossad employees and Israeli government officials worked with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
402:, a memoir of his years in the Mossad. On 12 September 1990, the Israeli embassy in Ottawa successfully obtained a court order temporarily blocking the book's publication of in Canada. On the same day, the
1026:"Reviewed Works: By Way of Deception. The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer by Victor Ostrovsky, Claire Hoy; The Imperfect Spies. The History of Israeli Intelligence by Yossi Melman, Dan Raviv"
53:
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becoming popular. By
October 1990, the book was number one on the New York Times bestseller list. The book quickly gained popularity, and earned nearly $ 2 million in royalties from the book.
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However both books were criticized by journalists, scholars, and historians who are supportive of Israel stating it lacked historical accuracy and contained sensationalist claims.
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review that "both countries know that Israel has spied on the United States for years" and that from publicly known instances, the "general assertion can hardly be challenged."
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The first half of the book provides a detailed first-hand account of Ostrovsky's training as a case officer, including how to detect surveillance and how to meet and recruit
431:, the book contained "convincing tidbits about Mossad recruitment methods and operations," but "how much was true could not easily be determined. Former Mossad chief
589:
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were used. Furthermore, Ostrovsky claims the Mossad was privately allowed to see the book before publication to ensure that lives were not placed in danger.
1072:"Reviewed Works: The Imperfect Spies: The History of Israeli Intelligence. by Yossi Melman, Dan Raviv; By Way of Deception. by Victor Ostrovsky, Claire Hoy"
552:, the operational detail and information contained in the book "has a scope which it is hard to believe that a relatively junior officer would obtain."
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According to Swiss Policy Research, after the book's publication "The entire Jewish lobby in the United States was mobilized.” According to
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Pete McCloskey states Ostrovsky's warnings to the Secret Service saved the life of former President George H.W. Bush. Historian
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for 14 months before his dismissal. After leaving the Mossad, Ostrovsky authored two books about his service with the Mossad:
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to Haim and Esther Margolin, who had fled Russia in 1912 and settled in Palestine where Haim served as Auditor General of the
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966:"Column Left: Suppression Only Lends Credence : Israel's attempts to stop publication of a damning book are backfiring"
345:, finishing second in a 1964 national shooting competition, with a score of 192 out of 200. At the age of 17, he joined the
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was not closely followed in the Mossad because of its small size and the need for case officers to fill many roles.
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899:"Reviewed Work: The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad's Secret Agenda by Victor Ostrovsky"
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Jewish helper outside Israel" who would then assist Mossad. Of the Israeli spy network in the United States,
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https://www.wrmea.org/1992-february/special-report-peril-in-being-president.html
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Ostrovsky joined the Israeli Youth Brigade at 14 and quickly became an expert
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The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad's Secret Agenda
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and journalist Hirsh Goodman accused Ostrovsky of fabrications in the book.
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851:"Author of Best-selling Mossad Book Encounters Hostility on Tv Talk Show"
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224:(born 28 November 1949) is an author and intelligence officer who was a
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349:(IDF) after a minor eye condition ended his hopes of becoming a pilot.
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329:, Canada, in 1948 and moved to Israel at the age of 1. He grew up in
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Writer, gallerist, painter, entrepreneur, former Israeli Mossad agent
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Ostrovsky's mother, a gymnastics teacher by profession, was born in
879:"Mossad Whistleblower Victor Ostrovsky on Israeli Black Operations"
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772:"Israeli Officials Start Campaign to Discredit Mossad Book Author"
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to fight for Israel's independence from the British mandate rule.
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https://www.c-span.org/video/?66937-1/mossad-influence-us-policy
379:. While he has painted many subjects, he is best known for his
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Ostrovsky's father was a Canadian-born Jew who served with the
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
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discredited the book by calling it "essentially a novel."
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collection, inspired by his days as a spy for the Mossad.
683:"Ex-mossad Agent Files Suit, Claiming On-air Death Plea"
372:, Ostrovsky was fired from Mossad for insubordination.
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By Way of Deception. The Making of a Mossad Officer.
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stated Ostrovsky's courage saved the life of former
523:to obtain visas for Soviet Jews, plotted to kill
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535:. According to a review by Benny Morris in the
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250:several years later. Former US Congressman
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375:He operated Ostrovsky Fine Art Gallery in
352:In the IDF, Ostrovsky was assigned to the
56:about living persons that is unsourced or
16:Mossad case officer and author (born 1949)
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964:Cockburn, Alexander (14 September 1990).
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127:Learn how and when to remove this message
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936:Cohler-Esses, Lawrence (17 April 1998).
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626:Victor Ostrovsky and Claire Hoy (1990)
513:In 1994, Ostrovsky wrote another book,
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1024:Gleditsch, Nils Petter (August 1992).
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278:(JNF), and Esther volunteered to the
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992:"Ban on Mossad Book Is Overturned"
990:Cohen, Roger (14 September 1990).
938:"Cloak & Dagger Man Uncloaked"
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1185:Canadian male non-fiction writers
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897:Quandt, William (May–June 1995).
812:"What Did Mossad Know, and When?"
719:Morris, Benny (1 January 1996).
360:. He rose to the rank of major.
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205:Universal Soldier: Regeneration
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810:Wise, David (7 October 1990).
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282:(ATS), as truck driver during
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721:"The Far Side of Credibility"
630:St Martin’s Press, New York.
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1180:Canadian emigrants to Israel
1076:Journal of Palestine Studies
836:Victor Ostrovsky Art Gallery
725:Journal of Palestine Studies
538:Journal of Palestine Studies
34:biography of a living person
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1042:10.1177/0022343392029003031
598:The Other Side of Deception
531:, and murdered businessman
508:The Other Side of Deception
503:, a Middle East spy novel.
247:The Other Side of Deception
61:must be removed immediately
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1030:Journal of Peace Research
943:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
856:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
777:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
688:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
550:Journal of Peace Research
544:According to a review by
529:Madrid Conference of 1991
441:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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363:Ostrovsky worked in the
295:Royal Canadian Air Force
244:bestseller in 1990, and
1190:Jewish Canadian writers
1170:Historians of espionage
414:. According to Wise of
286:, and later joined the
1175:Israeli whistleblowers
404:New York Supreme Court
398:In 1990, he published
381:Metaphors of Espionage
48:Please help by adding
1200:Writers from Edmonton
1142:a documentary of the
1129:Washington-report.org
546:Nils Petter Gleditsch
486:the need-to-know rule
347:Israel Defense Forces
307:1948 Arab–Israeli War
222:Victor John Ostrovsky
1195:People of the Mossad
1135:Death in Lillehammer
481:compartmentalization
309:, rising to command
276:Jewish National Fund
54:Contentious material
1146:by Victor Ostrovsky
780:. 11 September 1990
582:By Way of Deception
556:Kathleen Christison
446:By Way of Deception
400:By Way of Deception
393:By Way of Deception
377:Scottsdale, Arizona
272:Mandatory Palestine
260:President H.W. Bush
235:By Way of Deception
199:By Way of Deception
1144:Lillehammer affair
996:The New York Times
881:. 19 October 2023.
816:The New York Times
691:. 12 February 1995
499:In 1993, he wrote
476:The New York Times
416:The New York Times
76:"Victor Ostrovsky"
970:Los Angeles Times
859:. 22 October 1990
525:George H. W. Bush
521:Mikhail Gorbachev
501:The Lion of Judah
423:William B. Quandt
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907:: 186–187.
527:during the
433:Isser Harel
299:tail gunner
186:Nationality
117:August 2022
1154:Categories
1101:11 January
1055:11 January
1036:(3): 362.
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863:11 January
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695:11 January
614:References
494:code names
472:David Wise
454:David Wise
321:Early life
178:Occupation
157:1949-11-28
87:newspapers
1004:0362-4331
975:31 August
821:31 August
745:0377-919X
39:citations
913:20047180
343:marksman
327:Edmonton
212:Children
173:, Canada
167:Edmonton
65:libelous
1140:YouTube
1096:2537558
753:2538192
548:in the
311:Sde Dov
288:Haganah
238:, a #1
171:Alberta
101:scholar
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609:(1999)
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412:agents
365:Mossad
337:Career
266:Family
230:Mossad
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1092:JSTOR
1046:JSTOR
909:JSTOR
749:JSTOR
575:Books
570:Works
474:from
387:Books
331:Holon
313:, an
301:on a
108:JSTOR
94:books
32:This
1124:IMDb
1103:2024
1057:2024
1011:2017
1000:ISSN
977:2016
951:2024
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823:2016
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632:ISBN
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151:Born
80:news
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