Journalist and senior defense commentator Dr. Reuven Pedatzur, 66, was killed on Monday night in a roadside accident that took place near the Caesarea Junction on Highway 2, along Israel's coast. According to initial police findings, Pedatzur, who was riding a motorcycle, stopped on the side of the road for a reason that has yet to be determined, and was hit by a passing car as he was getting off the vehicle. He was mortally wounded, leaving Magen David Adom paramedics no choice but to pronounce him dead at the scene. Highway Police forces called to the scene of the accident detained the driver of the car that hit Pedatzur. The driver claimed that Pedatzur "came out of nowhere onto the road. I didnt have a chance to hit the brakes," but the police are also exploring the possibility that driver was using his cell phone while driving. Members of Pedatzur's family making their way home after spending Passover Seder with relatives, passed by the scene of the accident, oblivious to the tragedy. "When we were driving by, I saw a man with white hair lying on the road. There was blood on his face and paramedics were trying to resuscitate him. I never imagined it was my father," Pedhazur's daughter, Ariel, told reporters on Tuesday evening. "We started calling him, but he didnt answer. When we got home and saw that the bike wasnt parked outside we knew something terrible had happened." A former Israeli Air Force fighter pilot, Pedatzur served as a defense commentator for Haaretz and anchored the "Security Strip," a weekly defense show on Army Radio. He also served as a senior lecturer for defense and security at Tel Aviv University and as the academic director of the Center for Strategic Dialogue at the Netanya Academic College. "Reuven Pedatzur's writing accompanied the military and the defense establishment for decades. He never feared being a lone opposing voice or swimming against the tides," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said in a statement. "Reuven was a thinking man who, as a writer, a researcher and a professor of defense and security, lent his profession depth and earnest. He will be missed by all those pursuing the field. I offer his family my heartfelt condolences for their enormous loss." A statement by Army Radio said, "We deeply mourn Reuven Pedatzur's death and send our condolences to his family." Army Radio Commander Yaron Dekel said the station "had lost a brave journalist and anchorman, who possessed a rare combination of military, academic and journalistic experience." Fellow Army Radio anchormen Micha Friedman said, "Reuven's most prominent attribute was courage." Former Mossad chief Danny Yatom said, "This is a terrible tragedy. Reuven was a man of many talents. He was one to always speak his mind, even when it was unpopular, and you always knew he wasnt just trying to be argumentative -- he genuinely cared. He elevated the discussion on matters of security to new heights, and even those who disagreed with him held him in the highest regard." Former IDF spokesman MK Nachman Shai (Labor) said, "What made Reuven special was his unconventional thinking. He always looked at matters of defense from a different perspective and he didnt necessarily toe the line. His contribution to the [defense] establishment was truly great." Reuven Pedatzur is survived by his wife and four daughters. He will be laid to rest on Thursday.
