Amos Gilad

Amos Gilad is the former head of the research division of Israel's military intelligence organisation, Aman.

Akiva Eldar has accused Gilad of using his position to court Ehud Barak after the breakdown of peace talks with Yasser Arafat:

Gilad put all his prestige and the reputation of the leading Israel Defense Forces intelligence research division at Barak's disposal, to wage the "I have exposed the true face of Arafat" campaign. His concise message can be summed up as: "Barak is right. [Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser] Arafat constitutes a terrible danger. He tried to bring about a reality whereby Oslo would lead to the implementation of his strategy, to the effect that Israel has no right to exist ... If he is not properly dealt with, he will leave us a legacy that nobody will dare to change."

According to Eldar, Gilad's assessment was opposed by a number of other intelligence officers:

Amos Malka, who was head of MI from mid-1998 to the end of 2001, and was Gilad's direct superior, is one of them, and his version is the opposite of Gilad's. He is joined in this by Major General (res.) Ami Ayalon, who headed the Shin Bet security service up until a few months before the intifada; in the approach taken by Arab affairs specialist Mati Steinberg, who until a year ago was a special advisor on Palestinian affairs to the head of the Shin Bet; and by Colonel (res.) Ephraim Lavie, the research division official responsible for the Palestinian arena at that time and Gilad's immediate subordinate.