Jakub Szántó (CZE)

Jakub graduated from Charles University in Prague and the Central European University in Budapest. He completed a doctorate in modern history, which allowed him to perceive wars and national conflicts in a wider context. As a reporter, Jakub covered a number of international crises, such as the second Palestinian Intifada and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts of the last two decades, the shocks of the Arab Spring, the Russian-Chechnian and Russian-Georgian wars, and the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. “Getting the same amount of hateful emails from Israel lovers as from Palestine lovers is the best barometer of impartiality and success in reporting news from the Middle East,” he says.
Jakub is the winner of two prestigious Czech journalist awards and has also written two books: his testimonies from war zones called Za oponou války (Behind the Curtain of War), and a personal confession based on memories from the Middle East, called Z Izrastiny s láskou (From Israstin with Love), that shows his deep affection for Palestinians and Israelis, their culture and beautiful country.