Moses' Spies

Information is vital to preventing the next act of Jewish terrorism in Israel  - but at what cost?

The film explores the lives of those working for the "Jewish Division" of the Israeli Shin Bet (GSS) or to put it simply: spies.
While the GSS is widely known for its role as a counter-terrorism agency similar to the FBI or MI5, its mandate is also to thwart terror and safeguard the nation’s democratic foundations.
And because threats to public safety and democracy can emerge from any group, regardless of religion or social background, the Jewish Division dedicates a portion of its operations to gathering intelligence within the settler communities of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).

To get this information, the agency must recruit "insiders"—members of the community itself. Morally, the argument is clear: if a lead prevents a violent attack, the mission is justified.

In reality, however, this means people are spying on their own friends. This creates a toxic atmosphere of mutual suspicion and crushing guilt for the agents. Watching a friend get arrested and imprisoned is never easy, even when their crimes are objectively indefensible.

When these agents are eventually exposed, their entire social world collapses. They are cast out and treated as pariahs. Through stories like that of Ariel Gulli—an agent who fell into deep mental distress and took his own life - the film captures the agonizing dilemma between the necessity of stopping crime and the fundamental human values of friendship and trust.