Amir Tibon
{{Short description|Israeli journalist}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
| native_name = אמיר תיבון
| native_name_lang = he
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|02|11}}
| occupation = Israeli journalist, writer, diplomatic correspondent
| spouse = Miri
| children = 2 daughters
| lang =
}}
{{Campaignbox Gaza war}}
Amir Tibon ({{langx|he|אמיר תיבון}}; born 11 February 1989) is an Israeli journalist and writer.{{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Patrick Kingsley |author-link=Patrick Kingsley (journalist) |date=2023-10-08 |title='There were terrorists inside': An Israeli recounts how militants invaded his village. |language= |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/08/world/middleeast/israel-village-hamas-attack.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012001329/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/08/world/middleeast/israel-village-hamas-attack.html |archive-date=2023-10-12 |issn=}} He works for Haaretz,{{Cite web |date=2023-10-02 |title=Amir Tibon |url=https://www.haaretz.com/ty-WRITER/0000017f-da25-d42c-afff-dff77f020000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729155632/https://www.haaretz.com/ty-WRITER/0000017f-da25-d42c-afff-dff77f020000 |archive-date=2023-07-29 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Haaretz |language=en}} but has also worked for Walla! News.{{Cite web |last1=Medad |first1=Yisrael |author-link=Yisrael Medad |last2=Pollak |first2=Eli |date=2016-08-03 |title=MEDIA COMMENT: 'The New York Times' accuses again |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/media-comment-the-new-york-times-accuses-again-463146 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919055937/https://www.jpost.com/opinion/media-comment-the-new-york-times-accuses-again-463146 |archive-date=2023-09-19 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=}} He has also worked as a diplomatic correspondent.{{Cite web |last=Tibon |first=Amir |date=29 October 2015 |title=Why I've made my home at a kibbutz near Gaza, on the verge of hell |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/why-ive-made-my-home-at-a-kibbutz-near-gaza-on-the-verge-of-hell/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205204713/https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-ive-made-my-home-at-a-kibbutz-near-gaza-on-the-verge-of-hell/ |archive-date=5 December 2022 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=The Times of Israel |language=}}
Biography
Tibon's great-grandfather was a German soldier in World War I, and fled the country after the Nazis came to power.{{Cite web |last=Connan |first=Julie |date=2024-10-09 |title=Israeli–Palestinian conflict: "There is no desire for peace right now" |url=https://international.la-croix.com/opinions/israelipalestinian-conflict-there-is-no-desire-for-peace-right-now |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=La croix international |language=en}}
In the early 2000s, Amir Tibon was a resident of Tel Aviv. In late 2014, Tibon and his wife (then fiancée), Miri, moved to Kibbutz Nahal Oz, following a journalistic visit in August 2014. The couple has two daughters.
On 7 October 2023, Nahal Oz was attacked by Hamas militants while Tibon and his family were at home. They remained in their house's safe room for ten hours until Tibon's father, {{ill|Noam Tibon|he|נעם תיבון}}, a retired general, arrived from Tel Aviv, along with an Israeli soldier he picked up along the way.{{Cite web |date=October 10, 2023 |title='No one to talk to': Israelis feel abandoned by trusted army after terror assault |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-one-to-talk-to-israelis-feel-abandoned-by-trusted-army-after-terror-assault/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011123355/https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-one-to-talk-to-israelis-feel-abandoned-by-trusted-army-after-terror-assault/ |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=The Times of Israel |language=}} Following his rescue, Tibon stated in an article on his experience that "the Israeli state failed us".{{Cite news |last=Tibon |first=Amir |date=October 8, 2023 |title=My 62-year-old Dad Fought Hamas Terrorists to Free My Family. The Israeli State Failed Us |language= |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-08/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/my-62-year-old-dad-fought-hamas-terrorists-to-free-my-family-the-israeli-state-failed-us/0000018b-1068-dcc2-a99b-15794b0d0000 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011181839/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-08/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/my-62-year-old-dad-fought-hamas-terrorists-to-free-my-family-the-israeli-state-failed-us/0000018b-1068-dcc2-a99b-15794b0d0000 |archive-date=2023-10-11}}
On 9 October 2023, Tibon criticized American senator Josh Hawley for suggesting that American funding for Ukraine be redirected to Israel.{{Cite web |last=Slisco |first=Aila |date=2023-10-10 |title=Hamas attack survivor slams Josh Hawley's Israel response: "Shame on you" |url=https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-attack-survivor-slams-josh-hawleys-israel-response-shame-you-1833582 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011193654/https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-attack-survivor-slams-josh-hawleys-israel-response-shame-you-1833582 |url-status=live }} Tibon considers himself a "left-leaning" Zionist.{{Cite news |last=Strasser |first=Max |date=2024-10-07 |title=Reckoning With Israel's Past Is Hard. The Present Is Harder. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/books/review/loot-adam-raz-the-gates-of-gaza-amir-tibon.html |work=The New York Times}} He noted in October 2024 that "Although I supported the war at the beginning...I now prefer an agreement to bring back the hostages and end the conflict".
As of September 2024, Tibon and his family are living in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek.{{Cite web |last=Sales |first=Ben |title=Israeli journalist Amir Tibon survived the Oct. 7 massacre. He worries the country won't |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-journalist-amir-tibon-survived-the-oct-7-massacre-he-worries-the-country-wont/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US}}
Journalism and literary career
In 2015, Tibon was one of 15 journalists who signed a letter criticizing a proposed policy that would prevent Israel Broadcasting Authority journalists from expressing their opinions on-air.{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Marissa |date=4 September 2015 |title=Reporters to PM: Cancel IBA ban on expressing political opinions |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/reporters-to-pm-cancel-iba-ban-on-expressing-political-opinions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209222710/http://www.timesofisrael.com/reporters-to-pm-cancel-iba-ban-on-expressing-political-opinions/ |archive-date=9 February 2019 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=The Times of Israel |language=}} In 2016, Tibon wrote an article critical of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Walla.{{Cite news |last=Margalit |first=Ruth |date=2016-07-30 |title=How Benjamin Netanyahu Is Crushing Israel's Free Press |language= |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/sunday/how-benjamin-netanyahu-is-crushing-israels-free-press.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130045128/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/sunday/how-benjamin-netanyahu-is-crushing-israels-free-press.html |archive-date=2022-11-30 |issn=}} The Prime Minister's Office unsuccessfully pressured the site to remove Tibon's article.
Tibon began working as a Washington correspondent for Haaretz in early 2017, the week of Donald Trump's inauguration.{{Cite web |last=Grinspan |first=Lautaro |date=2019-03-24 |title=Meet the Foreign Correspondents Trying to Translate Trump's America for the Folks Back Home |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/03/24/meet-the-foreign-correspondents-trying-to-translate-trumps-america-for-the-folks-back-home/ |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Washingtonian |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214183054/https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/03/24/meet-the-foreign-correspondents-trying-to-translate-trumps-america-for-the-folks-back-home/ |url-status=live }} He continued working as a Washington correspondent through 2020.{{Cite news |last=Perlez |first=Jane |author-link=Jane Perlez |date=2020-04-13 |title=The Journalists |language= |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/13/t-magazine/foreign-correspondents.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602011131/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/13/t-magazine/foreign-correspondents.html |archive-date=2023-06-02 |issn=}}{{Cite web |last1=Mackinnon |first1=Amy |last2=Palder |first2=Darcy |date=2020-06-08 |title=Explaining America to the World |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/08/george-floyd-protests-black-lives-matter-foreign-media-view-united-states/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012104632/https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/08/george-floyd-protests-black-lives-matter-foreign-media-view-united-states/ |archive-date=2023-10-12 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Foreign Policy |language=}}{{Cite web |date=2020-11-22 |title=What The U.S. Election Meltdown Looks Like to Other Countries |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/11/22/us-election-foreign-observers-438691 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Politico |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529102136/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/11/22/us-election-foreign-observers-438691 |url-status=live }}
Tibon co-authored a biography of Mahmoud Abbas, entitled The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas, which was published in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Yair |date=2023-10-09 |title='We're Going to Die Here' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/amir-tibon-how-his-family-survived-hamas-massacre/675596/ |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011193419/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/amir-tibon-how-his-family-survived-hamas-massacre/675596/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last1=Rumley |first1=Grant |url=https://archive.org/details/lastpalestinianr0000ruml/mode/2up |title=The Last Palestinian: The Rise and Reign of Mahmoud Abbas |last2=Tibon |first2=Amir |publisher=Prometheus Books |year=2017 |isbn=9781633882997 |location=Amherst, New York |language= |via=Internet Archive}}{{Cite web |last=O’Malley |first=JP |date=23 September 2017 |title=The nonexistent rise and tragic plateau of PA President Mahmoud Abbas |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-nonexistent-rise-and-tragic-plateau-of-pa-president-mahmoud-abbas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330000844/https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-nonexistent-rise-and-tragic-plateau-of-pa-president-mahmoud-abbas/ |archive-date=30 March 2022 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=The Times of Israel |language=}}
In 2024, Tibon published The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival and Hope on Israel’s Borderlands, a non-fiction book about the October 7 attack on Nahal Oz and the events leading up to it.{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival and Hope on Israel's Borderlands |url=https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/the-gates-of-gaza-a-story-of-betrayal-survival-and-hope-on-israels-borderlands |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=Jewish Book Council |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Behr |first=Rafael |date=2024-11-30 |title=The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon review – a survivor's account of 7 October |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/30/the-gates-of-gaza-by-amir-tibon-review-a-survivors-account-of-7-october |access-date=2024-12-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |title=The Killing of Gaza by Gideon Levy & The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon: Two very different books |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review/2024/10/26/the-killing-of-gaza-by-gideon-levy-the-gates-of-gaza-by-amir-tibon-two-very-different-books/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}
Awards and recognition
In January 2015, Tibon and fellow journalist Ben Birnbaum were nominated for a National Magazine Award for their reporting in The New Republic, entitled "How Close They Came".{{Cite web |last=Bloomgarden-Smoke |first=Kara |date=2015-01-15 |title=The Finalists for the National Magazine Awards Are … |url=https://observer.com/2015/01/the-finalists-for-the-national-magazine-awards-are/ |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012104632/https://observer.com/2015/01/the-finalists-for-the-national-magazine-awards-are/ |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://sapirjournal.org/israel-at-75/2023/05/israel-is-at-risk-of-destroying-itself/ Israel is at risk of destroying itself]
{{Gaza war}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tibon, Amir}}
Category:21st-century Israeli journalists
Category:21st-century Israeli male writers
Category:Israeli people of German-Jewish descent