Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the appointment of US-born Yechiel Leiter as Israel’s next ambassador to the United States. Leiter, who previously served as chief of staff in the finance ministry, is expected to strengthen diplomatic ties under the administration of recently re-elected U.S. President Donald Trump, a leader widely celebrated in Israel for his support.
“Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics,” Netanyahu remarked in an official statement on Friday.
Leiter brings extensive governmental experience, having served as deputy director general of the Education Ministry and as acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company. Tragically, his personal life has been touched by conflict; his son died last year while serving in the Israeli military during the Gaza war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Yisrael Ganz, head of the Yesha Council, an organization representing Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also praised Leiter’s appointment. Ganz described Leiter, a resident of Gush Etzion in the West Bank, as “a key partner in English-language advocacy for Judea and Samaria,” a term used by many Israelis for the West Bank, a region captured during the 1967 Middle East war and regarded by Palestinians as a part of their future state.
