Nadav Eyal

Focus Areas: Middle East, Democracy, Globalization and the Liberal Order

Nadav Eyal is one of Israel's most prominent journalists and a winner of the Sokolov Award—Israel's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. He writes columns for Yediot Ahronot and Ynet, Israel's most widely circulated newspaper and news website, respectively. He also serves as a senior commentator for Channel 12, one of Israel's two commercial channels. 

Since 2021, Eyal has served as the chairman of the Movement for Freedom of Information, a highly regarded NGO in Israel dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability, aiming to foster a more open, democratic, and accountable society. 

Beginning on October 7, 2023, he has focused his work on stories and analyses related to the Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza and the northern border of Israel, including reporting multiple times from the field and writing the accounts of victims. 

Eyal authored the bestseller "REVOLT, the Worldwide Uprising Against Globalization," which was published in 2021 by Ecco HarperCollins (USA) and Picador (UK), and has been translated into multiple languages. REVOLT challenges prevailing views on nationalism and populism and argues that modern globalization is unsustainable, not only due to technological and social imbalances or the decline of liberal democracy, but because of a sentiment, a drive to dismantle hollow, corrupt, and unresponsive power structures. Yuval Noah Harari praised the book as "a well-written and thought-provoking account of the current crisis of globalization." Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, lauded it as a "compelling and penetrating epic on the crisis of globalization and the liberal order, showcasing Eyal’s depth of thought, superb storytelling, and absolute integrity." President Clinton highlighted its global perspective, noting, "With dispatches from around the globe, Nadav Eyal explores why so many people are rejecting interdependence, even when we need each other more than ever". 

In 2023, Eyal published "HOW DEMOCRACY WINS (if it does)" in Hebrew. Haaretz described the book as "one of the most interesting books ever written on democracy in Hebrew," noting the author's skill in "weaving local and global narratives, enriching them with historical anecdotes, and grounding them in solid intellectual thinking."

Throughout his journalistic career, Eyal has extensively covered Middle East affairs, Israel's role in a globalized world, and Washington-Jerusalem relations. His writings have appeared occasionally in Haaretz, the Daily Telegraph, Der Spiegel, The Washington Post, and The Daily Beast. He has held senior positions in major Israeli media groups, interviewed four Israeli prime ministers, and foreign heads of state. 

In July 2016, several months before the U.S. presidential elections, Eyal aired "Trumpland," a series of short documentaries focusing on the grievances of America's rust belt, which highlighted the serious prospect of a Trump victory well before it was considered likely. A year earlier, he documented the journey of Syrian refugees in Europe, from their landing in rafts on a Greek beach to their first job interviews in Germany. In 2014, he aired "Hate," which explored rising anti-Semitism in conversations with neo-Nazis and nationalist leaders across Europe.

Eyal has been a leading political reporter in Israel, covering the country’s turbulent political scene, three general elections, and four U.S. presidential elections (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020). He also reported, from the field, on the Second Lebanon War (2006) and Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip (2005). In 2008, he was appointed Ma'ariv’s daily chief correspondent in Europe, based in London. During that period, he covered significant events such as the Mumbai terror attacks and the Greek and EU financial crises, as well as the IAEA monitoring of Iran's nuclear program. 

He earned an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (with merit) as a Chevening Scholar and an LL.B. from Hebrew University (magna cum laude). In 2015, he received the B'nai B'rith World Center Award for Journalism in recognition of his "excellence in Diaspora reportage." Eyal is married to Tamar Ish Shalom, a chief anchor for Channel 13 TV in Israel, and they have three children.

Education

• MSc Global Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science 

Honors & Awards

• Sokolov Prize 
• B'nai Brith Prize