Red Sea Spies bookcover

Red Sea Spies

The True Story of Mossad's Fake Diving Resort

Raffi Berg 

(Author)
4.9/5.0
21,000+ Reviews
Bookshop.org has the highest-rated customer service of any bookstore in the world

Description

THE TRUE STORY THAT INSPIRED THE NETFLIX FILM THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT.

'Secret missions, brazen deceptions and thrilling, clandestine operations - Red Sea Spies has it all. But it has something more important, too - a genuine human mission that made a difference.' David Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy

'[A] thrilling and meticulous account.' The Times

In the early 1980s on a remote part of the Sudanese coast, a new luxury holiday resort opened for business. Catering for divers, it attracted guests from around the world. Little did the holidaymakers know that the staff were undercover spies, working for the Mossad - the Israeli secret service.

Providing a front for covert night-time activities, the holiday village allowed the agents to carry out an operation unlike any seen before. What began with one cryptic message pleading for help, turned into the secret evacuation of thousands of Ethiopian Jews who had been languishing in refugee camps, and the spiriting of them to Israel.

Written in collaboration with operatives involved in the mission, endorsed as the definitive account and including an afterword from the commander who went on to become the head of the Mossad, this is the complete, never-before-heard, gripping tale of a top-secret and often hazardous operation.

'Red Sea Spies is what really happened. There is none of the Hollywood colouring-in, and yet the book is all the more vivid for it ... part thriller, part dark comedy, all true ... Berg brings out the native drama in an improbable story of a clandestine homecoming.' Spectator

Product Details

PublisherIcon Books
Publish DateFebruary 06, 2020
Pages320
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconHardback
EAN/UPC9781785786006
Dimensions8.7 X 5.6 X 1.3 inches | 1.1 pounds

About the Author

Raffi Berg is the Middle East editor of the BBC News website, and has extensive experience reporting on Israel and the wider region. His article scratching the surface of this story was the most-read original feature in the history of the site, with more than 7 million readers to date.

Reviews

'Raffi Berg has, for the first time, managed to accomplish the herculean task of rendering a complex, manifold, full of human diversity story into a credible, readable, dynamic, passionate and well-documented book.'--'Dani' "Operation Commander"
'Secret missions, brazen deceptions and thrilling, clandestine operations - Red Sea Spies has it all. But it has something more important, too - a genuine human mission that made a difference.'--David Hoffman "author of the Billion Dollar Spy"
'The true and most accurate story of the Mossad's Ethiopian Jewish rescue operation in Sudan ultimately over a period of around a decade has found a gifted and worthy author who deserves high praise for his monumental effort in unearthing so many key aspects that have never been publicly revealed till now.'--Efraim Halevy "Head of the Mossad 1998-2002, from his Afterword"
'Drawing from extensive interviews with the leaders of the operation, Berg provides firsthand details, which results in a riveting narrative, reminiscent of a spy novel ... [his] captivating writing and in-depth research make this a must-have for fans of espionage tales.'--Library Journal, Starred Review
'[An] outstanding debut ... Berg's moving, well-researched book stands as the definitive account of this heroic rescue mission. It deserves a wide readership.'--Publishers Weekly
'An amazing story of the dogged behind-the-scenes workings of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, from the late 1970s to the '90s... From the first secret airlift until 1991, writes the author, who includes helpful maps and a list of the significant characters, 28,695 Ethiopian Jews were transported to Israel, 'about 80 percent of their entire community.' Berg's account of the operation--remarkable due to its duration, execution, and success--reads like a spy novel.'--Kirkus
'Berg's account of the operation--remarkable due to its duration, execution, and success--reads like a spy novel'--Kirkus
'BBC journalist Berg's outstanding debut reveals the true story of a secret Israeli operation to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel... Berg's moving, well-researched book stands as the definitive account of this heroic rescue mission.'--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Earn by promoting books

Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.sign up to affiliate program link
Become an affiliate