Veteran Israeli Foreign News Journalist Oren Nahari Dies at 70

Oren Nahari, a leading Israeli journalist specializing in foreign news, passed away at the age of 70 on Thursday. With a career spanning over four decades, Nahari was renowned as a reporter, editor, and presenter focused on international affairs, history, and global relations. He was a founding figure of the foreign news program "Ro'im Olam" and served as editor of the foreign news desk at Channel One. Nahari also hosted and edited several programs including "Globus," "Sikur Olam," "HaSha'a HaBeinleumit," and "Shabbat with Oren Nahari." In addition to broadcasting, he authored and edited numerous nonfiction books and was a research fellow at Reichman University. In March 2026, Nahari publicly revealed his diagnosis with ALS, which rapidly deteriorated his health.

Born on October 25, 1955, in Haifa, Nahari was the son of David Nahari, a career military officer and later Mossad agent, and Tamar, a piano teacher. He studied political science and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem after serving in an intelligence unit in the IDF. Nahari began his media career in Israeli television's sports department before moving to foreign news in 1985. He was part of the "Witztum" trio that brought European affairs to Israeli public broadcasting. Throughout his career, Nahari covered major international events such as South Africa's first democratic elections, the Rwandan genocide, the Yugoslav wars, the Cyprus conflict, and the 9/11 attacks. He interviewed prominent figures including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, and notable authors.

Nahari was recognized for his dedication to providing broad international context to Israeli audiences, often convincing editors to lead news broadcasts with foreign stories unrelated to Israel. He received the Smolar Joint Prize for Journalism in 2013 for his coverage of Israel-Diaspora relations. After the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority, he joined Walla as a foreign news editor and commentator. In 2022-2023, he chaired the judging panel for the Sapir Prize for literature. From 2023 until shortly before his death, he hosted "Shabbat with Oren Nahari" on Kan Reshet Bet.

Despite his ALS diagnosis in late 2025 and rapid decline, Nahari continued working remotely until July 2026, when he recorded his final radio show. He passed away shortly after, leaving a legacy as a respected voice in Israeli foreign news. He is survived by his wife, poet and literary scholar Dr. Vered Ariel-Nahari, their combined four children, and two grandchildren.