Roni Daniel, the veteran military commentator for Channel 12 and a national icon, passed away on Monday at the age of 73, bringing an end to what some described as one of the most patriotic voices in the Israeli media.
Daniel worked for nearly 30 years as a journalist and as the military-affairs commentator on Channel 2, which later became Channel 12.
Before moving to television, he worked for Israel Radio, first as a transportation reporter and then moving to military reporting, the field with which he is identified. From 1992 to 1993, he was one of the presenters of the Communications File program on Israeli Educational Television.
Daniel was known for his tough persona and fierce defense of Israel and the IDF. He regularly sparred with colleagues about military ethics and the need for Israel to take a tougher stance against Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“Roni was not just a military commentator,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said. “He was the voice of another era, of the good Land of Israel, of loving the state and maintaining its security, of the kibbutz and the city together.
“He criticized when necessary; gave a good word when it was deserved. He will be missed by all of us on screen and in our hearts. My condolences to the family. May his memory be a blessing.”
In recent years, Daniel returned to talk radio and hosted programs on The Jerusalem Post Group’s 103FM radio, including The Security Cabinet and a program of conversations with listeners on Thursdays.
“The entire IDF, and I personally, are saddened by his death and sorry for his passing,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi said Monday. “Roni was human, Zionist, loyal and genuine, a journalist who was first and foremost committed to report but also to criticize, support and express sympathy. From my vast experience with him, he above all loved the IDF, its soldiers and commanders.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he met with Daniel two weeks ago.
“He did not start a conversation about state security,” Gantz said. “He told me in grief that he was worried about the state. He shared with me his grief over the plight of the farmers, the longing he felt for Israeli stateliness.”
Roni’s “stature was built over the years on the basis of honesty, humanity and professionalism,” he said. “He fought in the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. He went wherever there were soldiers, covering Israel’s security in routine and in emergencies.”
“In decades of work, Roni knew how to be first and foremost a human being,” Gantz said. “I will miss you Ronnie, for patriotism, love of country and appreciation of honesty. I’ll miss your friendship. May your memory be blessed.”
Daniel was born in Baghdad. At the age of two months, he lost his father, and at the age of three, he immigrated to Israel with his mother and grew up on Kibbutz Maoz Haim in the Beit She’an Valley.
In October 1965, he enlisted in the IDF in the Nahal Brigade’s 906th Battalion. He went through a training course as a combat soldier, an infantry cadet course and an infantry officer course. At the end of the course, he returned to the Nahal Brigade and became a platoon commander.
During the Six Day War, he fought in the Battle of Abu-Ageila on the Egyptian front and was wounded by shrapnel, but he returned to the front. In the late 1960s, he became a company commander and fought in the War of Attrition.
During the Yom Kippur War, shortly after his release from the IDF and as a reporter for Kol Yisrael, he accompanied the 51st Battalion on a desert operation. He was later appointed by Gen. Yoram Yair as battalion commander in the reserves with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.