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.

Yosef (Yossi) Melman was born in Poland. The family immigrated to Israel in 1957, when he was six years old. 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.

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.

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

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.

...
Wikipedia