JOSEF FEDERMAN,

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Associated Press has named Josef Federman, a veteran Middle East correspondent, as its chief of bureau for Israel and the Palestinian territories. The promotion was announced Sunday by Ian Phillips, AP’s Cairo-based Middle East news director, and Dan Perry, the regional editor for text. Federman has written about and helped direct coverage of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in his previous role as Jerusalem news editor. Phillips said Federman's “leadership and sophisticated knowledge of the story would help maintain AP’s edge in delivering top-class, meaningful journalism in a region often convulsed by violence — but also a part of the Middle East known for its economic drive, pioneering technology and artistic creativity.” Federman, 46, joined the AP as an editor on the international desk in New York in 1993, transferred to Charleston, West Virginia, the following year and returned to the international desk in 1995. He worked as an editor at The Wall Street Journal from 2000 to 2003 before returning to AP as a correspondent in Jerusalem. A native of Westborough, Massachusetts, Federman has covered numerous major events, including the 2007 Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, three wars between Israel and Gaza militants, several failed rounds of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel's struggles against foes in Lebanon and elsewhere around the region. “Joe's expertise will yield balanced and sophisticated coverage of one of the world's most complex stories, where competing narratives, echoes of history and passionate grievances require journalists to apply the greatest care and sensitivity,” said Perry, who preceded Federman as bureau chief in Jerusalem. Federman has been a chairman of the local Foreign Press Association, an organization that promotes press freedom and security in Israel and the Palestinian territories. He holds a bachelor's degree in government, summa cum laude, from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a master's in international affairs from Columbia University. Federman is based at AP's Jerusalem office.