Israeli academic and Al Jazeera contributor Ori Goldberg dies at 50

Goldberg, a regular Al Jazeera contributor, died after a long battle with colon cancer, his family says in a statement.Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026Israeli academic and independent analyst Ori Goldberg has died at the age of 50, his family has said.His eldest daughter Avigail confirmed his death after a long battle with colon cancer in a statement on Goldberg’s X account on Sunday.“In one sentence, he was the best dad in the world. But you can’t really describe him in one sentence, and I don’t think I’ll have the courage to try,” she wrote.In a separate post on Goldberg’s X account, his eldest son, identified as Dave, said his father was “the light where things looked dark”.Goldberg was a frequent contributor to Al Jazeera’s website where his opinion pieces focused on Middle East affairs.In his final piece for the Qatar-based media network last month, he wrote about Israeli authorities’ reaction to the award-winning documentary NAZA, by Yuval Avraham and Rachel Szor.In a memorable piece titled Israel is imploding in December 2025, he explored whether Israel could be losing its status as regional hegemon while the Israeli state and society become increasingly dysfunctional.“An...