Question Time: Ron Ben-Yishai

Work: Ron Ben-Yishai, 65, is an Israeli war reporter and one of the subjects of the animation documentary ‘Waltz with Bashir’, in cinemas from Friday

Life: divorced with three children, Ben-Yishai lives in Tel Aviv

Balance: meet him at a screening at the Curzon Mayfair, tomorrow, 6.30pm

What is ‘Waltz with Bashir’ about?

It’s an animation about the trauma of a young Israeli soldier, Ari Folman (creator and director of the film), during the war in Lebanon in 1982. He and other Israeli soldiers stood by while Lebanese militias massacred Palestinians in the outskirts of Beirut, which made him feel that he didn’t fulfil his moral obligations.

How did you become involved with the film, and what is your role in it?

As a war correspondent for IBA TV (Israel Broadcasting Authority), I covered the Lebanon War, witnessing the same events Folman experienced as a soldier. I informed the then minister of defence, Ariel Sharon, of an alleged massacre being committed by Christian Lebanese militias in the Palestinian refugee camps.

Describe your current job

Senior special assignment correspondent for the Yedioth Aharonot daily in Israel, and national security commentator on its Ynet News.

What was your first break in journalism?

Covering the fighting between Israeli and Egyptian armies along the Suez Canal in 1967-70.

What has been the most difficult story you have ever covered?

The war in Afghanistan between Afghan government troops and USSR troops and the mujahedin in 1989.

And your best scoop?

Being the first to report a breakthrough in peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt conducted at Camp David and brokered by President Jimmy Carter.

With whom would you most like to work?

I prefer to work alone.

What aspect of your work do you most enjoy?

I am a “storyteller”. I enjoy providing people with new, reliable information and helping them to understand a complicated conflict situation.

What does animation add to ‘Waltz with Bashir’?

A powerful emotional and psychological layer that it is hard to find in most documentary films.