Talk:Mossad

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 25 September 2025

• What I think should be changed 1:

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The US journalists Dylan Howard, Melissa Cronin and James Robertson linked the Mossad to American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in their book Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales. They relied for the most part on the former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe.[58]

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Journalists Dylan Howard, Melissa Cronin, and James Robertson included [[Ari Ben-Menashe]]'s claim that American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is linked to Mossad in their book Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales.[58][60]

• Why it should be changed 1:

The source (https://7news.com.au/the-morning-show/jeffrey-epstein-was-a-mossad-spy-says-investigative-journalist-dylan-howard-c-595812) says that the book fully attributes the claim to Ben-Menashe (rather than "for the most part" as it currently reads):

In his book, Howard speculates that Epstein may have also been an international spy.

"As part of our investigation, we spoke to Ari Ben-Menashe, who is a former Israeli spy," Howard said.

"He said, on the record, unequivocally, that Jeffrey Epstein was working for Israeli intelligence operations, the Mossad, and running a classic honey trap operation: that is, lure people inside, record their activities, and use it to blackmail them.

"This person was also the handler of Jeffrey Epstein's best friend and ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

"Ghislaine Maxwell is a central figure in this story, and her whereabouts at the moment is unknown. She was said to have been one of the women who helped to procure the underage girls for Epstein, but she has denied that.

"But her father was Robert Maxwell, a media and press baron. He was a former Mossad agent, and according to Ari Ben-Menashe, the business that Robert Maxwell had was turned over to Jeffrey Epstein almost in a switch before Maxwell died in mysterious circumstances in 1991."

• What I think should be changed 2:

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According to him, Epstein's activities as a spy served to gather compromising material on powerful people in order to blackmail them.[59]

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REMOVE

• Why it should be changed 2:

Wikipedia:FOXNEWSPOLITICS

• What I think should be changed 3:

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There is also a possible connection to the Mossad via Ghislaine Maxwell, whose father Robert Maxwell is said to have had contacts with the Mossad.[60]

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REMOVE

• Why it should be changed 3:

This is the same potential connection as is already mentioned. The source (60) should be moved to cite the first claim, too.

Crs5827 (talk) 03:33, 26 September 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: for the following reasons:

• The Seven News article does not say that the book fully attributes the claim in question to Ben-Menashe. That is just an implication that you are drawing from the fact that Howard discussed his interview with Ben-Menashe in the article, but the book could have relied on other sources or information as well.
• WP:FOXNEWSPOLITICS does not preclude the use of this source, because the consensus that Fox News is generally unreliable for political stories only applies for events from November 2020 onwards. At any rate, even if this source cannot be used, the other sources cited in the paragraph also support this information.
• The potential involvement of Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell is not mentioned in the earlier sentence. This sentence could perhaps be rephrased but should not be removed entirely. Day Creature (talk) 07:08, 26 September 2025 (UTC)

  For transparency, I was notified of this from the ongoing discussion at Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Skyhorse_Publishing. On the first point, I really think we should not be using a Seven News article of all things to base this incredibly controversial claim upon. But furthermore, can we find any reliable sources that indicate the book presents independent corroboration beyond Ari Ben‑Menashe's claims for the allegation that Epstein worked for Mossad? The Seven News article states: "In his book, Howard speculates that Epstein may have also been an international spy." But the specific Mossad claim in that article is only attributed to Menashe: "He said, on the record, unequivocally, that Jeffrey Epstein was working for Israeli intelligence operations, the Mossad, and running a classic honey trap operation: that is, lure people inside, record their activities, and use it to blackmail them." This does not suggest the specific Mossad claim is attributed to anything else. And the 1st quote from this Wiki article listed above is not talking about any other "international spy" claims. Only Mossad. But as I mentioned, this is Seven News article is only one article. The book was billed as being based partly on an "interview with Epstein's one-time handler for Mossad", but this Seven News article does not say Menashe was his handler. So I am a bit confused. I have not read the book, but I opened up this Reddit AMA with the book's authors

  James Robertson states:

  When I spoke to former Israeli spy Ben-Menashe, the alleged handler of Robert Maxwell (Ghislaine's dad) & the man who introduced Epstein to the intelligence agency, described him to me as a "simple idiot"

  Melissa Cronin states:

  Epstein's Mossad handler told us he was an "idiot"

  Melissa Cronin also states:

  We did find extensive evidence that he was working as an agent of the Mossad and had deep ties to Israel, though. We spoke with a man who was actually Epstein's Mossad handler, and handle Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell as well.

  and :

  We spoke to the man who says on record that he was Epstein's handler for the Mossad. He's very credible.

  To which a Reddit user asked:

  By no means am I in disbelief of what you've said, but what benefit does Epstein's Mossad handler get from revealing himself as his handler?

  And to which James Robertson then responds:

  Ari Ben-Menashe had already publicly stated he worked for Mossad for a decade. He was also arrested in 1989 in the US on arms dealing charges but was acquitted in 1990 after a jury accepted he was acting on behalf of Israel. Israel distanced themselves, with govt sources claiming he never had anything to do with intelligence services (despite reports in US and Israel saying he did). Basically, by revealing himself it would at least mean people would ask questions if he winds up dead in mysterious circumstances.

  What? So they are saying Menashe was his handler? Confusing. Regardless, the most relevant quote above is Cronin saying "We did find extensive evidence that he was working as an agent of the Mossad", suggesting it is indeed further than information attributed to Menashe. But again, I have not read the book. Οἶδα (talk) 22:47, 26 September 2025 (UTC)

  " But furthermore, can we find any reliable sources that indicate the book presents independent corroboration beyond Ari Ben‑Menashe's claims for the allegation that Epstein worked for Mossad?" I have not been able to find any. I have also not read the book. But Matt Bevin of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) stated in this podcast that essentially, Ben-Menashe is the source of all the claims about Maxwell being Mossad, and has never provided any proof, despite promising to do so for many years: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/if-youre-listening/was-jeffrey-epstein-a-mossad-agent/105591934 Crs5827 (talk) 05:00, 27 September 2025 (UTC)

  To add: there is an ongoing RSN discussion about 7News Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Seven_News_Australia_(7NEWS). Οἶδα (talk) 04:21, 29 September 2025 (UTC)

  That's not what WP:FOXPOLITICS says though. It says There is consensus Fox News is generally unreliable for the reporting of politics, especially from November 2020 onwards. On the matter of science, and on the matter of pre-November 2020 politics, there is a consensus that the reliability of Fox News is unclear and that additional considerations apply to its use. As a result, Fox News is considered marginally reliable and generally does not qualify as a "high-quality source" for the purpose of substantiating exceptional claims in these topic areas.

  This is clearly an exceptional claim.

  And can you please articulate the difference between the claim in the first sentence and third sentence? Ben-Menashe's main claim is that Robert Maxwell was Mossad (something he has been promising to provide proof of for over 30 years and never done) and therefore Epstein is working for Mossad. So what's the difference between the first and third claim, in your view? Crs5827 (talk) 04:57, 27 September 2025 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 10 March 2026: Small grammar correction

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In May 2014, a NSA document obtained by Edward Snowden and published by journalist Glenn Greenwald revealed that the CIA was concerned that Israel had established an extensive espionage network in the United States.

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In May 2014, an NSA document obtained by Edward Snowden and published by journalist Glenn Greenwald revealed that the CIA was concerned that Israel had established an extensive espionage network in the United States.

Change "...a NSA document..." to "...an NSA document..." in Alleged operations, Americas, United States, paragraph 6. Endearing Black Sycamore (talk) 23:36, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

 Done. Deor (talk) 00:50, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 13 June 2026

Regarding Mossad Agents in Television, Avi is a character from “Snowfall” believed to be a mossad agent. ~2026-34779-17 (talk) 22:59, 13 June 2026 (UTC)

I cannot find a wp:reliable source that confirms this. If you have one and can provide it, I'd be happy to add this. -- Lenny Marks (talk) 03:53, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

We shouldn't be adding trivia and pop culture sections that don't explore the cultural relevance of the connection with the subject, per MOS:TRIVIA.⇒SWATJester ^{Shoot Blues, Tell VileRat!} 06:52, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: per Swatjester's response and as no source has been provided. Day Creature (talk) 21:32, 15 June 2026 (UTC)