Israeli journalist Dan Margalit passed away at 87 on Thursday, his daughter Shira Margalit announced on social media.
"Our father, journalist Dan Margalit, 87, passed away in the arms of his family at his home in Tel Aviv after an illness. A family man, a lover of people, a journalist and a man of books, a Zionist and a lover of Israel with every fiber of his being," the post read.
Margalit had an extensive career in Israeli media and wielded significant political influence, with one of his most notable works being the revelation of Yitzhak Rabin's dollar account, which led to his resignation in the 1970s.
He was a regular host on the "Erev Hadash" program on Educational Television from its inception in 1982 until its discontinuation in August 2018, and he also hosted the program "Popolitika" in the 1990s.
The life of Dan Margalit
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Margalit studied international relations and modern Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Over the years, he wrote for various major Israeli newspapers, including Maariv, Haaretz, and Israel Hayom.
In 1992, Margalit was appointed editor of Maariv by Ofer Nimrodi, but resigned after about six months due to disagreements.
"Dan Margalit was part of the landscape of our childhood, and he embodied love for the land and the country, alongside journalistic integrity," said former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about Margalit.
In 2018, he was accused of sexual harassment by several journalists in incidents that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s.
According to a report from Haaretz, five women, all current or former journalists, spoke out about their past experiences with Margalit. Four of the women, including two who spoke publicly, said Margalit physically assaulted them during the late ‘80s and early '90s.
Former Haaretz writer Hannah Kim first wrote about her experience with Margalit in a Facebook post two weeks ago. At the time, she didn’t name him, but later told Haaretz that it was Margalit. Haaretz said Kim took a polygraph test, which confirmed her story.
“He was a senior journalist and a leading reporter,” Kim wrote on Facebook. “I was a young journalist who went once or twice a week to the Knesset to write a column. He entered one of the journalist’s rooms in the Knesset, closed the door, took out his penis, and pushed against me forcefully.”
The main repercussion for Margalit is his self-suspension from journalistic activity. "In light of the controversy that arose, I decided to suspend myself from journalistic activities," Margalit had posted in 2018.