Amos Harel is one of Israel's leading media experts on military and defense issues. He has been the military correspondent and defense analyst for Haaretz for the last 12 years. In this role, he has written extensively about Israel's ongoing fight against terrorist organizations, its battles during the Palestinian Intifadah (uprising) and the last war in Lebanon.
Prior to his current position, Harel, 41, spent four years as night editor for the Haaretz Hebrew print edition, and from 1999-2005 was the anchorman on a weekly Army Radio program about defense issues. He also frequently appears in the Israeli and foreign media as a military pundit.
Along with Avi Issacharoff, Harel co-wrote "The Seventh War: How we won and why we lost the war with the Palestinians", a 2004 book about the second Intifadah. The book- a best-seller in Israel - has been translated into French and Arabic, and won the prestigious Chechic award in 2005, for outstanding security research.
Harel and Issacharoff's second book, "34 Days: Israel, Hezbollah and the War in Lebanon", about the war of 2006 was published in Hebrew in January 2008, and also became a best-seller. It was published in English, by Palgrave-Macmillan Books, in April 2008. "34 Days" also won the Chechic award in 2009.
Harel is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, with a bachelor's degree in Law. He is married with three children and lives in Hod Hasharon, in central Israel.
Release of special forces arrested in 2015 could ensure tensions between Israel and Hamas don't spiral out of control in upcoming months and possibly revive negotiations on prisoner exchange deal
Netanyahu is sowing fear that his rivals will give back land to Palestinians and thrust Israel back to the days of suicide bombers, but this election is actually all about his own survival
If Gaza hostilities don't flare up by summer, it will be a major achievement for Israel's army chief
Local leaders fear disagreement over responsibilities and a lack of coordination between the military and the national emergency authority damage Israelis' readiness for war
Transfer freeze is attempt by Netanyahu to portray himself as the strong right against Gantz’s weak left ■ Any move Abbas makes to reduce prisoners’ payments will cause him a huge domestic crisis
The army has to prepare its soldiers for the kind of difficult scenarios that may occur in wartime. But the need to produce tough soldiers doesn’t justify a mishap ending in death
Three major Gaza operations yielded the same results
Israel's 2019 military intelligence estimate says Iran has not violated the nuclear agreement, but pressure from economic sanctions and the American withdrawal from the deal may change that
Netanyahu's confirmation that Israel struck Syria was in keeping with the hysteria that has taken hold of Likud's election campaign
Netanyahu promoted a paid social media post falsely claiming that Gantz once left a border policeman 'to die.' Should the current commander of the West Bank forces now conclude that the government won't back him up?
New study suggests U.S. downplays the challenges facing Israel in Syria, while Jerusalem may not fully appreciate the race between the superpowers
The Shin Bet has refrained from labeling the murder a terror attack, but it's likely that the motive had a political aspect
As Haaretz reported, Iran seems to be moving its activity away from Damascus Airport. But its weapons will still be in Israel's striking range
Iranians are likely headed to Syrian T4 air base, which was struck by Israel twice last year
Some IDF commanders asked to be relieved from hosting the PM ■ Incitement against attorney general has reached a dangerous point
Over the years, Netanyahu has had differences with defense officials over the Iranian threat. But he was never so openly hostile as the U.S. president ■ Israel's moves against Iran in Syria have almost reached their limit
Army wasn't prepared, Gantz didn't tell this to cabinet, and the lengthy, costly, bloody war's gains were negligible
Gantz's main drawing card is still his military background. That's why Netanyahu feels under such pressure from his candidacy
The Israeli government would have liked a quieter Gaza front in the run-up to election, but Netanyahu will no longer be able to halt Qatari money flow, which, in a win for Hamas, is now provided by official channels
For big plans, you need a big budget
Netanyahu and new army chief reap benefits from Syria strikes – but who will sound the alarm bells when Israel approaches the precipice of war?
Israeli air force chief presents Macron with maps and aerial photos detailing the organization's changes in deployment ahead of French president's trip to Beirut
Netanyahu, who wants to save face, decided to halt the Qatari cash flow into Gaza despite the fact that both he and Abbas hoped the funds would restore calm
Flare-up comes after border area heated up following two rounds of fire on Tuesday that resulted in wounded Israeli soldier and one dead Palestinian
The Russian-provided S-300s were not in operation, but other Russian-made systems were hit
Recent developments cast Israel's self-aggrandizement regarding military action against Tehran in Syria in a dubious light
Thousands of skiing Israelis saw missiles on the Syria border. But it's still a secret
The fact that the missiles weren't anti-aircraft missiles shows it was an intentional strike by Syria or Iran in response to the attack attributed to Israel
How the attack that killed U.S. forces in Syria could affect Trump’s pullout ■ The question of Iran’s nuclear program is set to make a comeback
The Friday protests at the Gaza fence are the first test for the new Israeli army chief ■ Does the IDF shrug off criticism, even if it’s true?