Watch The Gatekeepers

"The Gatekeepers" is a documentary film from 2012 that highlights the insights of six former leaders of Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency. Directed by Dror Moreh, the film provides an intriguing look at the challenges faced by Israel over the last few decades, and how Shin Bet has tackled those challenges. The film starts with a brief introduction of Israel's history and focuses on the Six-Day War of 1967, which changed the political landscape of the region. During that war, Israel captured territories from Jordan, Syria, and Egypt, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip that are still part of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The documentary then delves into the interviews of six former Shin Bet directors who offer candid reflections of their time in the agency. These six individuals include Avraham Shalom, Yaakov Peri, Carmi Gillon, Ami Ayalon, Avi Dichter, and Yuval Diskin.

The interviewees provide a unique perspective on Israeli politics and how Shin Bet responded to emerging challenges. They discuss events such as the 1982 Lebanon War, the first Intifada in the late 1980s, the Oslo Accords of the early 1990s, and the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.

The documentary is framed around three central themes: counter-terrorism, the West Bank, and political leadership. It offers a detailed look at the complex web of factors involved in each of these themes and how Shin Bet functioned within these situations.

The documentary provides an inside view of the various operations conducted by Shin Bet. One of the most striking aspects of the film is the emphasis placed on the "targeted assassinations" of individuals who were perceived as threats to Israeli security. The former Shin Bet directors discuss how these operations were carried out and the ethical dilemmas that they faced during such missions.

The second theme of the documentary revolves around the West Bank and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shin Bet was tasked with managing the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the directors provide insights into the difficulties they faced in doing so. They also discuss how Shin Bet tried to maintain a balance between security concerns and the need for peace negotiations.

The final theme of the documentary is political leadership. The former Shin Bet directors discuss their interactions with Israeli political leaders and the various political pressures they experienced while carrying out their duties. They offer a unique perspective on the political dynamics of Israel and the challenges associated with national security.

Throughout the documentary, Director Moreh skillfully weaves in archival footage, maps, and diagrams to provide context, making this film both informative and thought-provoking. The documentary is extremely well edited and lacks any sort of judgment, bias or a preconceived notion of what the viewer should take away. It is left entirely up to the viewer to make their own conclusions based on the insights provided by the six Shin Bet directors.

In summary, "The Gatekeepers" is a must-watch film for anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges associated with national security. The documentary is a well-crafted mix of interviews and archival footage that immerses the viewer into the complexities of Israel's domestic intelligence agency. With its unique perspective on Shin Bet's operations, the documentary provides a deep insight into the nature of conflict and the role of intelligence agencies in shaping it.

The Gatekeepers is a 2012 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6 and a MetaScore of 91.