AP PRESS RELEASE

April 16, 2007

AP's Oded Balilty wins Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography

NEW YORK -- Associated Press photographer Oded Balilty has won The Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for his picture of a lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces in the West Bank. It’s the 49th Pulitzer for the world's oldest and largest news cooperative and the 30th awarded for AP photos.

Balilty's photo shows a Jewish settler struggling with an Israeli security officer during clashes that erupted as authorities evacuated the West Bank settlement outpost of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, on Feb. 1, 2006. Thousands of troops in riot gear and on horseback clashed with hundreds of stone-throwing Jewish settlers holed up behind barbed wire and on rooftops in this illegal West Bank settlement outpost that Wednesday, after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the demolition of nine homes at the site.

"It is a stunning single image that captures the chaos and emotion of that evacuation," said AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll. She also cited the work of an 11-photographer AP team, including Balilty, that was a Pulitzer finalist in the same category for their work covering the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

AP President and CEO Tom Curley praised both the Pulitzer Prize winner and the AP finalist team, which included Balilty, Kevork Djansezian of Los Angeles, Matt Dunham of London, Sebastian Scheiner of Israel, Kevin Frayer of Jerusalem, Mohammed Zaatari of Lebanon, Hussein Malla of Beirut, Lefteris Pitarakis of London, Pier Paolo Cito of Rome, Baz Ratner of Israel and David Guttenfelder of Tokyo.

"Their success in the breaking-news photo category enhances the truly spectacular and enduring contribution made by AP photo journalists over decades," Curley said. "They have added to an unrivaled collection of iconic images displayed on front pages and newscasts that have become forever etched in public consciousness."

"This award is a fitting tribute to Oded's remarkable photograph, taken under challenging and difficult circumstances. He is an extremely talented and committed photojournalist and an important member of AP's photo staff," said AP Director of Photography Santiago Lyon.

Balilty's single image of the Jewish settler previously has won awards in photojournalism competitions that include World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International (POYi), National Press Photographers Association, Atlanta Photojournalism 2006 and Headliner Awards 2007.

Balilty is based in Jerusalem, where he was born. He learned the basics of photojournalism as a photographer for the magazine of the Israeli Defense Forces. After completing his military service, he worked as a photographer for the ZOOM 77 agency and the daily paper Yedioth Ahronot. The AP hired Balilty for its Jerusalem photo staff In 2002, at the height of the Palestinian Intifada.

Balilty has covered a range of issues inside and outside the Middle East, including the 2004 Ukrainian elections and subsequent demonstrations, the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and the 2006 war in Lebanon. He was one of 12 photographers selected to attend the prestigious World Press Photo 2005 Joop Swart Masterclass in Amsterdam. His work has been exhibited at galleries and museums in Switzerland and France, including Visa pour l’Image 2004 in Perpignan, France, a group exhibition of AP coverage of the Intifada.

You can see his much-decorated photo on the corporate Internet site here . Here's a list of previous awards it has won:

World Press Photo -- People in the News -- First Prize
Pictures of the Year International (POYi) -- Human Conflict -- First Place
National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) -- General News -- First Place
Atlanta Photojournalism 2006 -- Spot/General News -- First Place, also Best in Show
Headliner Awards 2007 -- Spot News Photography -- First Place

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Contact: Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720

On the Net:

A complete listing of AP's Pulitzer Prize Winners
The Pulitzer Prizes, American journalism's most prestigious honor, were established by Joseph Pulitzer and are presented annually for outstanding achievement. The Associated Press has won 49 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization in categories for which it can compete.

PULITZER PRIZE WEB SITE: http://www.pulitzer.org