Ben-Dror Yemini


Ben-Dror Yemini is an Israeli journalist. He has worked for the daily newspaper Maariv, and in Spring 2014 began writing for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Biography

Ben-Dror Yemini was born in Tel Aviv to a Yemenite Jewish family. He studied Humanities and History at Tel Aviv University and then pursued a degree in law. After graduation, he worked as an advisor to the Israeli Minister of Immigration Absorption and then became spokesman of the Ministry.
In 1984, he began his career as a journalist. His book Political Punch is a critique of politics and society in Israel. Between 2003 and 2014, Yemini has been the opinion page editor of Maariv.
In 2014 Yemini began writing for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. In 2014 he published a book The Industry of Lies dealing with the lack of accountable reporting in contemporary media.
Most of his newspaper articles are intended to refute what he regards as anti-Israel claims. He has published articles about the Israeli-Arab conflict in which he examines the issues of genocide, refugees, Palestinian and Arab capital, the status of Israeli Arabs, multiculturalism and the status of women. He argues that "anti-Zionism is politically correct anti-Semitism": the same way Jews were demonized, Israel is being demonized; the same way the right of Jews to exist was denied, the right for self-determination is denied to Israel; and the same way Jews were presented as a menace to the world, Israel is presented as a menace to the world.

Views

While Karl Vick, Jerusalem Bureau Chief for Time Magazine, identified Yemini as a conservative columnist, Yemini writes that he has been mislabeled as a right-winger and that he has a "long track record in the Israeli peace camp"; he also says that he met with Yasser Arafat in Tunis and that he has several friends who are PLO officials. He says that he is a long-time believer in a two-state solution, believes that Israel should have the same right of self-determination as the Palestinians and opposes settlements in the occupied territories. In 2012, while articulating support for Israel's motive behind Operation Pillar of Defense, Yemini expressed his support in " a move which no one expects – follow a unilateral cease-fire by inviting Hamas to peace talks."
Yemini has criticized what he considers to be the international community's obsession, especially that of the United Nations Human Rights Council, solely on condemning Israel while turning a blind eye to much worse war crimes, massacres and atrocities committed by others.

Books