Oren Kessler

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Oren Kessler
FRHistS
Born1982 (age 43–44)
Rochester, New York, US
Alma mater University of Toronto (BA)
Reichman University (MA)
OccupationsPolitical analyst, author, journalist
Notable workPalestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict
Spouse
Clara Kessler
​
(m. 2023)​
Website orenkessler.com

Oren Kessler (born 1982) [1] is an American international politics analyst, author, and journalist.

Contents

Background and education

Kessler was born in Rochester, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in diplomacy and conflict studies from Reichman University. [2] [3] [4]

Career

Kessler was deputy director for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., [5] was Arab affairs correspondent for The Jerusalem Post , was an editor, translator, and writer for the English edition of Haaretz , and was a research fellow and director of the Centre for the New Middle East at the Henry Jackson Society think tank in London during which he testified before the UK House of Commons and the European Union Parliament on Middle East issues. [4] [6] He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society [7] and his work has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal , [8] [9] Foreign Policy , [10] Politico , [11] The Washington Post , [2] The New Republic , [12] Foreign Affairs , [13] The Free Press , [14] and U.S. News & World Report . [15]

He had corresponded extensively with fellow journalist Steven Sotloff in the months before Sotloff was murdered by ISIS militants in 2014. Sotloff wrote to Kessler in 2011 to introduce himself as a fellow former Reichman student. The two had both covered the Arab Spring, and, at the time Sotloff first contacted him, he was reporting from Libya while Kessler was covering the country for The Jerusalem Post. [16] [17] [18] Kessler was also one of the journalists targeted by former CNN correspondent Jim Clancy in a 2015 Twitter incident that led to Clancy's resignation. [19] [20] [21]

As of 2026, Kessler was based in Tel Aviv and Washington. [3] His book, Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in February 2023 [22] and named one of The Wall Street Journal ’s 10 best books of 2023, [7] a Booklist best book of the year, [2] and the 2024 winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. [23] [24]

Personal life

On October 7, 2023, Kessler married his wife, Clara, whom he had met when she was an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in 2015. [25]

References

  1. ↑ "Oren Kessler". nationalpublicdata.com. National Public Data. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Oren Kessler | About the author". amazon.co.uk. Amazon . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Oren Kessler". goodreads.com. Goodreads . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "FDD Welcomes Oren Kessler as New Deputy Director of Research" (press release). Foundation for Defense of Democracies. October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  5. ↑ "CNN's Jim Clancy Resigns After Controversial Israel Tweets". Haaretz . Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 17, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ Kessler, Oren. "Oren Kessler Experience" . linkedin.com. LinkedIn / Oren Kessler. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Oren Kessler". thefp.com. The Free Press . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kessler, Oren (April 4, 2014). "Book Review: Faisal I of Iraq by Ali A. Allawi". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Kessler, Oren (November 8, 2013). "Book Review: My Promised Land by Ari Shavit". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Oren Kessler". Foreign Policy . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Mourning My Almost-Friend, Steve Sotloff". Politico . September 2, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Reporters Have Finally Found Hamas. What Took So Long?". The New Republic . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Author Page: Oren Kessler". Foreign Affairs . August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ Kessler, Oren (January 18, 2026). "The Bad History of 'Palestine 36'". thefp.com. The Free Press . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Oren Kessler". www.usnews.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kamin, Deborah (September 3, 2014). "Steven Sotloff, killed by Islamic State, had deep roots in Israel". The Times of Israel . Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  17. ↑ Zavis, Alexandra (September 5, 2014). "Friends, supporters worked to keep Steven Sotloff's Israel ties secret". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  18. ↑ Zezima, Katie (September 3, 2014). "Obama to Islamic State: 'We will not be intimidated'". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  19. ↑ Steele, Emily (January 17, 2015). "Anchor Leaves CNN After Tweets". The New York Times . Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ "CNN anchor quits after sharing pro-Palestine views on Charlie Hebdo" . The Independent . January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  21. ↑ "CNN's Jim Clancy resigns after controversial Israel tweets". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 16, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  22. ↑ Kessler, Oren (2023). Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1538148808.
  23. ↑ "Oren Kessler awarded Sami Rohr Prize for Palestine 1936, receives $100,000". The Jerusalem Post . April 17, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Judges' Remarks re: Palestine 1936". jewishbookcouncil.org. Jewish Book Council . Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  25. ↑ Kessler, Oren (October 5, 2024). "A Day of Love & Darkness". momentmag.com. Moment . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
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