Yossi Melman

Yossi Melman

Yossi Melman (Hebrew: יוסי מלמן) is an Israeli writer and journalist. He was an intelligence and strategic affairs correspondent for the Haaretz newspaper, and in 2012 he joined the Israeli news portal Walla! in a similar, more analytical role.

Biography

Yosef (Yossi) Melman was born in Poland. The family immigrated to Israel in 1957, when he was six years old.[1] He graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. From 1969 he served for three years with "Shaked", a reconnaissance and Special Forces unit in the Israel Defense Forces.

Since 1974, Melman has worked in various capacities in the Israeli media. He has worked for 27 years in the Israeli Haaretz daily as a senior correspondent on national security, intelligence and strategic issues. Melman was involved in several legal and public battles to lift gag orders issued by Israeli courts and censors.

Views and opinions

Melman has stated that he considers himself a left-wing Israeli, and that Israel must abandon the occupied territories to live in peace with a Palestinian state. However, he has also said that the Palestinians should not be given the right of return, as that would defeat the idea of a two-state solution in Israeli minds.[2]

Of a 2008 deal between Austrian energy company OMV and Iran, Melman told Austrian newspaper Der Standard:[3]

While I understand the Austrian dilemma regarding energy interests, the gas deal of the OMV should have been postponed, or at least negotiated. Austria should have been much more adamant and should have demanded concessions. Overall, they are far too yielding towards Iran - one only has to remind himself of the Swiss president Micheline Calmy-Rey who ran around in Teheran with a hijab. The signal is: We respect you, but we don't expect the same in return. Austria should follow the German example: Germany is the best ally of Israel, better than the USA, since the German support is not tied to interests.

Melman was described by Wikileaks in February 2012 as an "information mule" who had "channeled tips to the Mossad", assertions that were contested by Melman in his review of his relationship with Julian Assange, whom he believes has made anti-Semitic statements.[4]

Awards

Yossi Melman was the recipient of the 1994 “Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism” and of the 1995 Boris Smolar Award of Excellence in International News or Feature Reporting”, on behalf of the American Jewish Press Association.

In 2003 together with a few other members of the ICIJ investigative team he has received a special award for their coverage “Making a Killing: The Business of War”, a project of 11 feature articles on worldwide arms dealers, oil and diamond merchants in Third World countries.

In 2004 survey among Haaretz readers Yossi Melman was selected as the “Most Outstanding and Interesting Writer”.

In 2007 participated together with ICIJ reporters Michael Bilton, Prangtip Daorueng, Ignacio Gomez, Andreas Harsono, Alain Lallemand, Mutegi Njau, Paul Radu, Gerardo Reyes (journalist) and Leo Sisti in an investigatory project Collateral Damage: Human Rights and Military Aid After 9/11. The project was nominated for the Online News Association Awards.

In 2008, Melman won an award from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Association (IRE) for his report on a Jordanian Palestinian held illegally by American, Israeli and Jordanian security services.[5]

In 2009 he received the Sokolov Award, Israel's foremost award for journalism, on account of his investigative work and breaking news about the Israeli security establishment.

Published work

References

  1. ↑ Booknotes interview with Melman and Dan Raviv on Every Spy a Prince, August 5, 1990 Archived November 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "We cannot have them back", The Guardian, September 20, 2002. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  3. ↑ Atomexperte: "Israel kann und wird es tun" Der Standard, 20 May 2008
  4. ↑ Yossi Melman (28 February 2012). "Assange's Chutzpah". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  5. ↑ Carmel, Asaf (July 1, 2008). "Haaretz journalist wins investigative reporting award". Haaretz.
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