Associated Press

I started working as a correspondent for the Associated Press in Jerusalem in September 2005. Over the next 15 years, I wo at the AP, I wrote several hundred stories that have appeared in newspapers and websites around the world. I covered seven Israeli elections, four Mideast wars and countless other eruptions of violence, political drama and religious strife. Over thousands of stories, I interviewed presidents, star athletes and Hollywood celebrities, and was dispatched on assignments to more than a dozen countries on five continents. I was frequent contributor to AP’s radio and on-line video services, delivering live on-air reports, and developed several beats, including sports, religion and Holocaust-related features. These are a selection of some of the most notable.

October 24, 2023

It’s Israeli boy’s 9th birthday as he is held in Hamas captivity — and his family waits

KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) — Ohad Munder-Zichri’s 9th birthday is on Monday. But instead of celebrating at home with his family and friends, he is believed to be somewhere in Gaza, one of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas…

October 18, 2023

Former AP videojournalist Yaniv Zohar killed in Hamas attack at home with his family

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Yaniv Zohar, a former Associated Press videojournalist and beloved colleague who covered conflicts and major news in his native country for three decades, was killed in his home during Hamas’ bloody cross-border rampage on Oct….

September 01, 2020

With Kushner in UAE, Iran’s leader decries new ties with Israel

AL-DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Jared Kushner and U.S. officials visited a major air base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, speaking to Emirati and American pilots on the tarmac, as Iran’s supreme leader called the…

September 01, 2020

UAE’s warm welcome to Israelis reflects changing region

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In less than 24 hours on the ground, Israel’s first-of-its-kind delegation to the United Arab Emirates received a warm welcome that would have been nearly unthinkable just a few weeks ago. Dozens of…

August 31, 2020

First direct Israel-UAE flight lands in Abu Dhabi amid deal

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Star of David-adorned El Al plane flew from Israel to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi in the first-ever direct commercial passenger…

August 31, 2020

El Al flight LY971 to Abu Dhabi was no typical air journey

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — From the Israeli captain’s emotional greeting in Arabic upon takeoff in Tel Aviv, to the warm Emirati reception on the ground in scorching Abu Dhabi, it was obvious this was no typical flight….

August 17, 2020

Israelis eager to tighten ties to UAE after historic accord

JERUSALEM (AP) — For eager Israelis, anticipation is mounting that Dubai’s glitzy Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, will soon join the ranks of the Pyramids in Egypt and the ancient ruins in Jordan’s Petra as a once-forbidden destination now…

August 11, 2020

Israeli PM’s uneasy alliance seems headed toward collapse

JERUSALEM (AP) — When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to form an “emergency” government in May after three bitter and deadlocked election campaigns, the goal was to stabilize Israeli politics in the face of a…

August 07, 2020

Israeli team’s massacre overshadows sports at 1972 Olympics

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The 1972 Munich Olympics were marked by historic achievements and unprecedented controversy but will be forever defined by devastating catastrophe. In hosting the 1972 Munich Games, West Germany was eager to erase the stain of…

August 07, 2020

Israeli racewalker recalls surviving 1972 Munich massacre

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Just before heading to sleep on Sept. 4, 1972, Israeli Olympic racewalker Shaul Ladany lent his alarm clock to wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg, a fellow Israeli delegation member known by his nickname “Muni,” who had…

July 28, 2020

Returning UN envoy: Israel won’t suffer for tight Trump ties

RAANANA, Israel (AP) — Israel’s returning ambassador to the United Nations affirmed the country’s bond with the Trump administration Tuesday, dismissing notions that Israel would pay a price for its tight ties to the divisive president should he be defeated…

July 27, 2020

Coronavirus crisis sparks a young Israeli protest movement

JERUSALEM (AP) — In attending his first-ever public protest, 34-year-old Nimrod Gross arrived with the only prop he felt reflected him — the blue-and-white Israeli flag. The former combat soldier and current tour guide and after-school science teacher had seen…

July 23, 2020

Israeli president lashes out at government, talk of election

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s largely ceremonial president lashed out Thursday at squabbling members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s so-called unity government, beseeching them to quit bickering at a time of national emergency and stop floating the prospect of yet another…

July 10, 2020

Israelis angry at Netanyahu over new outbreak, economic pain

JERUSALEM (AP) — With an unprecedented new surge in coronavirus cases battering Israel’s economy, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants was dispatched to a TV studio recently to calm the nerves of a jittery nation. Instead, he dismissed…

July 05, 2020

Israeli leader’s son takes center stage in corruption sagas

JERUSALEM (AP) — As scandal-plagued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands trial for corruption, his 28-year-old son has emerged as a driving force in a counterattack against critics and the state institutions prosecuting the longtime Israeli leader. A favorite of the…

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