Ron Ben-Yishai

Ron Ben-Yishai was born in 1943 in Jerusalem

Ron Ben-Yishai was born in Jerusalem in 1943. His father, Baruch, was a fighter killed by sniper fire in January 1948. He studied at the military boarding school next to the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa and finished there in 1961.

He joined the IDF in November 1961 and served in the Paratroopers and in the Golani Brigade. He earned a degree in economics and geography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He began at Kol Israel in 1966 and later became a military correspondent for Israeli Television. He reported from Washington for Yedioth Ahronoth from 1978 and covered the First Lebanon War. He was the first journalist to enter the Sabra and Shatila camps after the massacre.

He commanded Israel Army Radio from 1983 to 1985 and edited Davar from 1995 to 1996. He covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, Yugoslavia, Kosovo and Chechnya. In 2004 he became spokesman for President Moshe Katsav and left in 2005.

Since 2005 he has reported on military affairs for ynet. He lectures on media and journalism at Tel Aviv University.