01In brief
Jerrold Kessel (1945–2011) was one of Israel's leading English-language journalists, with a career spanning more than four decades across radio, print, and television. South African-born, he worked in The Jerusalem Post's sports department before becoming a CNN correspondent in the region, where he covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the intifada. A 2022 Jerusalem Post column counted him among the paper's former editorial staff who had been "media stars" in their day and remained familiar to veteran readers.
02Early Life and Career at the Jerusalem Post
Kessel was born in 1945 and was South African-born.[1][2] A former colleague recalled working alongside him in The Jerusalem Post's recently established sports department in the early 1980s. The colleague described Kessel as deeply passionate about news and sport, especially horse racing. The group also played tennis, followed cricket, and held intense, sometimes boisterous arguments about sporting matters.[2]
A Jerusalem Post account called Kessel a longtime "Jerusalem Post stalwart" who later became CNN's Israel correspondent.[5] He also represented Israel on the cricket field, captaining the national team in the 1979 Associate Members' Trophy—the first occasion on which Israel participated in that competition.[5]
03CNN Career and Coverage of the Conflict
Kessel later transitioned from print to television, becoming CNN's Israel correspondent and covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the intifada.[5] On October 9, 2000, he reported on violence and rioting inside Israel, including attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank—known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria—as well as attacks on Arab Israelis in several parts of the country.[3]
In another CNN report, Kessel relayed that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had called Colin Powell's decision to meet Yasser Arafat "a tragic mistake," explaining Sharon's concern that such a meeting could serve to rehabilitate Arafat as a legitimate peace partner.[3] On October 18, 2000, he reported on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, where Palestinian gunmen had repeatedly fired from nearby Beit Jalla and Israeli forces had returned fire.[3]
An earlier report attributed to Kessel, published on CNN's website on October 5, 1997, stated that Israel had "ignored a credible offer from Hamas for a 10-year cessation of hostilities and bombings."[6] CNN subsequently removed the word "credible" from the posted story.[6]
04Legacy
Kessel's career was remembered for its breadth across radio, print, and television, and a Jerusalem Post obituary described him as one of Israel's leading English-language journalists.[1] In 2022, a Post columnist included him among deceased former editorial staff who had been "media stars" in their day and remained familiar to veteran readers.[4] His sporting legacy also included captaining Israel in its first Associate Members' Trophy appearance in 1979.[5]
05Controversies
Kessel's intifada-era reporting was criticized in media-analysis publications. In a Washington Institute study, author Joshua Muravchik disputed Kessel's October 18 characterization of Gilo and Beit Jalla as "two communities united in fear, hatred, and an appetite to punish the other." Muravchik called the framing false and argued that it treated the communities as equivalent despite the described sequence of Palestinian gunfire into Gilo and Israeli return fire.[3]
Separately, CAMERA wrote that Kessel's 1997 report described a Hamas proposal as a "credible" offer and that CNN later quietly amended the article by removing that word.[6] The two publications address specific criticisms of Kessel's reporting, rather than providing independent biographical assessments of his career.[3][6]
Sources
- 1The Jerusalem Post, Jerrold Kessel, 1945-2011, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 2The Jerusalem Post, JPost at 90: Working in the media isn't a job - it's a calling, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 3The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Covering the Intifada, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 4The Jerusalem Post, Grapevine August 19, 2022: To whom does the credit belong?, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 5The Jerusalem Post, Reminiscences of cricket in the Holy Land, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 6CAMERA, accessed on September 25, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
Who was Jerrold Kessel?
Jerrold Kessel (1945–2011) was one of Israel's leading English-language journalists, with a career spanning more than four decades across radio, print, and television. South African-born, he worked in The Jerusalem Post's sports department before becoming CNN's Israel correspondent, where he covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the intifada. A 2022 Jerusalem Post column counted him among the paper's former editorial staff who had been "media stars" in their day.
What role did Jerrold Kessel play in Israeli cricket?
Jerrold Kessel captained the Israeli national cricket team in the 1979 Associate Members' Trophy, which was the first occasion on which Israel participated in that competition.
What did Jerrold Kessel report on during the intifada?
During the intifada, Kessel reported on violence and rioting inside Israel, including attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and attacks on Arab Israelis in several parts of the country. He also reported on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, where Palestinian gunmen had repeatedly fired from nearby Beit Jalla and Israeli forces had returned fire, and relayed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's characterization of Colin Powell's decision to meet Yasser Arafat as "a tragic mistake."
What controversy surrounded Jerrold Kessel's 1997 CNN report on Hamas?
A 1997 report attributed to Kessel on CNN's website stated that Israel had "ignored a credible offer from Hamas for a 10-year cessation of hostilities and bombings." CNN subsequently removed the word "credible" from the posted story. The media-analysis organization CAMERA wrote that CNN had quietly amended the article by removing that word.
How was Jerrold Kessel's intifada-era reporting criticized?
In a Washington Institute study, author Joshua Muravchik disputed Kessel's characterization of Gilo and Beit Jalla as "two communities united in fear, hatred, and an appetite to punish the other." Muravchik called the framing false and argued that it treated the two communities as equivalent despite the described sequence of Palestinian gunfire into Gilo and Israeli return fire.