Halevy, Ephraim

(1943- )

   Born in Great Britain, he immigrated (see ALIYA) to Israel with his parents in 1948. He graduated in law from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He joined the Mossad in 1961 and served in the agency's operational unit but spent most of his years in the "Tevel" (Hebrew for universe) division, which operates as the liaison division charged with the Mossad's contacts with its counterparts abroad, including those with which Israel has no official ties. In 1990, Halevy was appointed deputy Mossad chief and served for five years until he retired and was then appointed by Yitzhak Rabin as his special mediator with King Hussein of Jordan. He served as the secret channel between the Israeli prime minister and the royal court in Amman prior to the signing of the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty. Halevy was named head of the Mossad by Benjamin Netanyahu in March 1998. He is said to maintain close and friendly relations with the royal court in Amman and was asked to help mend fences with the monarchy following the aborted Mashaal (Mashal) Affair in Amman. Currently, he heads the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies in the School of Public Policy at Hebrew University. In 2005, Halevy was awarded the Israel Prize for special contributions to the state. In 2006, he published his memoirs, Man in the Shadows.