Ron Ben-Yishai Israeli journalist Date of Birth: 26.10.1943 Country: Israel

Biography of Ron Ben-Yishai

Ron Ben-Yishai was born in Jerusalem in 1943. He graduated from the Military School in Haifa in 1961 and joined the Israel Defense Forces as part of the Paratroopers Brigade. He completed courses for infantry officers and platoon commanders, as well as several other leadership courses. After leaving the military, Ron obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and geography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1967.

In June 1966, Ben-Yishai began working as a financial reporter for "Kol Yisrael" and also served as a producer for "Voice of Israel" radio. He gradually transitioned from finance reporting to become a military journalist, serving as a war correspondent for "Kol Yisrael" during the War of Attrition. He was injured twice, once in Petra and another time during the fighting in the Golan Heights in June 1970. In 1969, Ben-Yishai moved to television, but also continued to report for radio.

In 1973, Ben-Yishai participated in the Yom Kippur War as a correspondent, accompanying an Israeli battalion. He displayed bravery by rescuing wounded soldiers and medics under fire, for which he received a government award. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he continued to work in television and radio, and from 1983 to 1985, he served as the head of the Israel Army Radio.

Throughout his career, Ron Ben-Yishai covered important events in Israel and around the world. He became a leading military commentator, reporting on the Soviet war in Afghanistan. His documentary film on the topic was broadcasted on NBC Nightly News in 1989. During the Gulf War, he reported on Israeli Channel 2, and in 1991, he covered the Kurdish refugee crisis in Turkey and Iraq for Yediot Aharonot and Channel 2.

In 1992, he reported on the Nagorno-Karabakh War and the war in Yugoslavia, and from 1992 to 1993, he was a correspondent in Washington, covering the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. In 1993, he traveled to northern Iraq, and from 1993 to 1994, Ben-Yishai edited the program "Reshet Hokeret" on television.

In September 1996, he became a military commentator for Yediot Aharonot. In 1999, he covered the war in Kosovo, where he was wounded again. In 2000, he reported on the Second Chechen War.

From 2001 to 2002, he served as a military commentator for Channel 1, and in October 2002, he became a commentator for the publication "Globes." In 2007, after the "Operation Orchard," he traveled to Syria and visited Damascus. Upon his return, he was questioned by the Israeli police due to being declared an "enemy of the state" in Syria.

In 2004, Ben-Yishai was appointed as the press secretary for the President of Israel, Moshe Katsav, and he resigned from that position in 2005. Currently, Ron Ben-Yishai resides in Tel Aviv, where he is divorced and has three children. He teaches journalism at Tel Aviv University.

In 2008, he collaborated with Ari Folman on the documentary project "Waltz with Bashir," describing his work during the Lebanon War in 1982.

Ron Ben-Yishai has received numerous journalistic awards throughout his career, including the "Best Report from the Battlefield" in 1968, the "Israel Broadcasting Authority Award" in 1969, and the "Kinor David Award" in 1978. In 2008, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Eilat News Conference.