Akiva Eldar | |
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עקיבא אלדר | |
.JPG) Portrait of Akiva Eldar | |
| Born | (1945-11-27)27 November 1945 (age 79) |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Education | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Occupation(s) | Political analyst, journalist, author |
| Known for | Columns forHaaretz, political analysis |
| Notable work | Lords of the Land: The War Over Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories, 1967–2007 |
| Awards |
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Akiva Eldar (Hebrew:עקיבא אלדר; born 27 November 1945) is anIsraeli political analyst, author and journalist. Eldar wrote for the newspaperHaaretz and was chief politicalcolumnist, editorial writer and US Bureau Chief for the paper,[1][2] where he worked for 35 years. His final column in English for the paper appeared on 13 November 2012.[3] He also wrote columns for the Japanese dailyMainichi Shimbun, lectured in communications atTel Aviv University's School of Journalism and worked as a consultant forPBS television.[4][5]
Akiva Eldar graduated from theHebrew University of Jerusalem, where he majored in economics, political science and psychology.[2][5]
He served as spokesperson for the formermayor of Jerusalem,Teddy Kollek.[4] He was a reporter and editor at theKol Yisrael. Eldar began working forHaaretz in 1978. In 1983–1993, he was the diplomatic correspondent forHaaretz. In 1993–1996, he served asHaaretzUnited States Bureau Chief andWashington, D.C., correspondent, covering theIsraeli–Palestinian peace process,Israel–United States relations, American issues and Israel–diaspora relations. He was a special consultant toAbba Eban'sPBS television documentaries on thehistory of Israel and theOslo Accords. From 2012 to 2020 he was the political analyst for Al-Monitor.com. Since then he is a permanent contributor to Haaretz and frequently interviewed by global TV news shows.
Eldar was described byNahum Barnea as one of several journalists, along withGideon Levy andAmira Hass, who do not "pass thelynch test" and "who could not bring themselves to criticize the Arabs even when two Israelis were savagely murdered by a mob inRamallah". Barnea called their support for the Palestinian position "absolute".[6]
Eldar responded that he was honored to be mentioned along with his fine journalist colleagues Levy and Hass, and wrote, "I admit to being guilty as charged. I am a journalist with a mission, and also no small amount of passion. Every Israeli with a conscience, in particular one who watches reality from up close on a daily basis, cannot write about the occupation from an objective observer's neutral point of view."[6] In a response op-ed, Calev Ben-David wrote that if Eldar is not empathetic to Israelis' concerns, he will do little "to advance the Palestinian cause, as he merely preaches to the converted and makes his own conscience feel cleaner in the process".[7]
Akiva Eldar is the co-author of the biography ofShimon Peres; he is also the coauthor (with professorIdith Zertal) of the bookLords of the Land: The War Over Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories, 1967–2007 (Nation Books, 2007)ISBN 1-56858-370-2.
In October 2007, Eldar won the annual Eliav-Sartawi award for Middle Eastern journalism, awarded bySearch for Common Ground, an international conflict transformation organization, sharing it withJordanian journalistSalameh Nematt.[8]
In 2010, Akiva won a Peace through Media Award at the sixth annual International Media Awards hosted by theInternational Council for Press and Broadcasting in London.
In May 2015, Eldar was seriously injured inSydney, Australia when he was struck by a car driven by singerJon Stevens.[9]
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