Ze'ev Schiff, the veteran military commentator and Haaretz defense editor, died Saturday night in Tel Aviv. He was 74 years old.
To his many friends, Schiff was known as Wolfy. To his readers in Israel and the world, he was a brand name, a guarantee for reliable information and authoritative analysis. More than anything else, Schiff was the quintessential Israeli military correspondent.
Remembering him Saturday night, former defense minister Moshe Arens said: "Not on the right or the left, because he was above political disputes, objective as only he knew how to be. Nor among the many writers and analysts and the Israeli press. As professional and sharp-eyed as they come, he was superior to them all. His articles were read by statesmen and politicians, generals and reservists, and they knew that he wrote the stark truth and how to listen to his views."
Described by BBC World Affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds as "the most respected military analyst in Israel," Schiff wrote numerous books on Israeli defense issues including "A History of the Israeli Army," "Fedayeen," "Entebbe Rescue," "A Lexicon of the Israeli Army and Defense," "The Year of the Dove," and "La Guerre Israelo-Arabe."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/872848.html