On September 29, 2000, the Palestinians launched an intensive years-long terror campaign against Israel – the Second Intifada – killing more than 1,000 Israelis and wounding countless more. Many American Jews know of the IDF’s operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to stem the violence during this period. Few, however, are aware of the thousands of secret operations Israel’s undercover units conducted behind the scenes.
Now, a new book by Middle East security expert Samuel Katz shines light on this shadow war. Titled “The Ghost Warriors: Inside Israel’s Undercover War Against Suicide Terrorism” (Berkley Caliber), the book focuses on Yamas, the undercover unit of Israel’s National Police Border Guard.
Katz’s previous works include “Relentless Pursuit: The DDS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists,” “The Illustrated Guide to the World’s Top Counter-Terrorist Forces,” and “Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi” (a 2013 New York Times bestseller he co-authored with Fred Burton).
The Jewish Press: How would you describe the skill sets of Yamas?
Katz: They’re highly specialized in masquerading as indigenous Palestinians. Each Palestinian city has its own slang and accent, but these individuals make a point of being able to blend in wherever they go. They can be dressed up as old women, old men, students, or merchants, and they’re able to get wherever they want. Their primary mission is the apprehension of terrorists.
Who belongs to these units? Are they Sephardim who grew up hearing Arabic at home?
Most of the Arabic speaking is the work of the Druze, the Bedouins, the Circassians, and the Christian Arabs. The Border Guard traditionally is made up of these minorities, as well as native-born Israelis and newcomers to the Jewish state. Oddly enough, some of the best operators in these units have absolutely no knowledge of Arabic and come from the former Soviet Union.
Wouldn’t the light skin color of someone from the USSR give him away in Arab areas?
There are light-skinned Palestinians, and usually a little scruff from not shaving for a few days and the right clothing assists them in blending in. Also, sometimes the Russian-born individual may masquerade as the wife of a Palestinian walking three paces behind her “husband,” who is actually a Druze operator. Also, a lot of Russian-born operators aren’t necessarily in the front dressed as Palestinians. They may be part of the tactical backup team hidden in vehicles.
Considering that Yamas personnel often operate in hostile territory, were there instances during the Second Intifada when Palestinians saw through their disguise and killed them?
During the entire Intifada there was only one fatality in the unit. The way an operation generally went down was they’d find their target, throw him in a vehicle, and disappear before anyone was the wiser. If anybody [realized they weren’t Palestinians], the operatives would identify themselves as police officers with masks or blue baseball caps that said “Police” in Hebrew and English.
Occasionally, though, there were engagements with weapons, which they called “Mogadishu” because” they were very similar to the film “Black Hawk Down,” where you would have five or six operators all of a sudden engaging hundreds of weapons.
The work was incredibly dangerous. Many of these individuals said quite frankly that due to the stress, smoking, and coffee, they easily lost 10-15 years over their lifespan during this period. But they knew they were really the only individuals who could do this, and they sacrificed themselves.
Can you describe one of Yamas’s more memorable missions?
One was in Jenin against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Many of these terror groups were run and maintained by clans, or extended families, and one of the most lethal was a family called Jaradat. They came from the villages around Jenin and in Jenin itself. There were two operatives – a brother and a cousin – whom the IDF had been hunting for a long time. Finally an undercover unit went in and tried to catch them, changing their cover every day so they wouldn’t stand out.