Six former heads of Israel’s Shin Bet—the agency that runs counterterrorism, assassinations, and interrogations—sit down and talk.
Not in vague terms. They name names, admit to killings, and even question whether the occupation is destroying Israel from the inside out.
“The Gatekeepers” is like if the CIA’s top brass gave a TED Talk on everything they got wrong in the last 50 years—then blamed themselves.
Thanks to Tim Ferriss’s 5-Bullet Friday (July 8, 2022) for flagging this one.
Trailer for “The Gatekeepers”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Avraham Shalom admits on camera that he ordered the execution of two captured Palestinian hijackers during the 1984 Bus 300 affair.
- Shin Bet knew the identity of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin before the murder—but failed to act.
Watch “The Gatekeepers”
You can rent “The Gatekeepers” on Apple TV or Amazon, or check the latest streaming options at JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94/100 (Critics); 79/100 (Users)
Director’s Note: Directed by Dror Moreh, who also did “The Corridors of Power” (I rank that 89/100). He has a knack for getting powerful insiders to go brutally on the record.
Release Date: November 11, 2012 (Telluride Film Festival)
My Review of “The Gatekeepers”
The Setup
This is a 101-minute masterclass in national security, moral compromise, and hindsight.
The documentary spans from the 1967 Six-Day War to the early 2000s, chronicling how Israel’s top counterterrorism unit both protected and, at times, sabotaged its own democracy.
All told by the six men who ran it.
More Highlights from the Doc
- The film openly questions whether Israel’s use of targeted killings, surveillance, and interrogations created more enemies than it eliminated.
- All six Shin Bet directors agree that military solutions alone won’t solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Several advocate for negotiations with Hamas.
- The film mixes archival footage, CGI maps, and first-person interviews—making decades of terror plots, assassinations, and failed peace talks feel immediate.
- It exposes how political leaders often ignore intelligence warnings for the sake of ideology or reelection.
- Shin Bet officials describe how the 2nd Intifada pushed them to expand operations and tactics that even they now view as counterproductive or unethical.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Several interviewees were in office during the Oslo Accords—and they reveal how peace efforts were undermined by both extremists and politicians inside Israel.
- Director Dror Moreh was inspired by Errol Morris’s “The Fog of War.” That influence shows in how the doc centers on regret and hindsight from powerful decision-makers.
- Avraham Shalom compares Israeli tactics in the Occupied Territories to those of Nazi Germany—a shocking statement from a Holocaust survivor.
- One former chief says he had more meaningful conversations with Palestinian prisoners than with Israeli politicians.
- The doc shows how Shin Bet initially fought both Palestinian terrorists and Jewish extremists—with limited political support to go after the latter.
Wrap Up
“The Gatekeepers” is jaw-dropping, not for what it reveals about Israel—but for who’s revealing it. When the people who ran assassinations and mass surveillance start warning you it went too far, you listen.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc