Director General of Foreign Ministry resigns
Dr. Dore Gold, who held the position since June 2015, tendered his resignation due to 'personal reasons'; ' In the period I served as Director General, we experienced a boom in foreign relations led by Prime Minister Netanyahu. I feel proud to have been a part of this and wish luck to my successor.'
Officials in the foreign ministry say Gold has felt frustrated that Netanyahu has both excluded him from core issues in international relations and dealt directly with Yitzhak Molcho and acting head of the National Security Council, Yaakov Nagel. Gold was not involved in secret contacts with Turkey and was excluded from talks with Egypt, the Palestinians, the Americans and others. Gold found himself dealing only with Africa and employee disputes within the Foreign Ministry. Additionally, large budget cuts at the Foreign Ministry showed that Gold doesn't really run the ministry. He recently raised the issue of leaving, but Netanyahu asked him to wait a bit.
Among candidates set to replace Gold are Alon Ushpiz, the Deputy Director General for Diplomacy and Yuval Rotem, Head of Public Diplomacy.
In a message from Foreign Ministry administrators, Gold emphasized that he wanted to retire because his family was growing, and he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren. In the accompanying statement, the Foreign Ministry said, "Dr. Dore Gold asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Benjamin Netanyahu, to tender his resignation for personal reasons. Dr. Gold has served in his position since June 2015 and has been with the Prime Minister for 25 years, since the Madrid Conference."
In personal comments, Gold said, "I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his confidence in me and I will continue to make myself available for every task imposed on me in the future. The role of Director General of the Foreign Ministry was a personal and professional peak reached while serving on the diplomatic front. I am grateful for the professional and dedicated employees of the Foreign Ministry. Together, we navigated Israel's diplomatic struggles. In the period I served as Director General, we experienced a boom in foreign relations led by Prime Minister Netanyahu. I feel proud to have been a part of this and wish luck to my successor."
Gold is considered one of the people closest to Netanyahu. In the past, he served in several diplomatic positions, including Israel's ambassador to the UN (1997-1999) and political advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (1996-1997). As political advisor, Gold served as the Prime Minister's envoy to Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States.
The year prior to his appointment as Director General of the Foreign Ministry, he served as special Foreign Policy Advisor to Netanyahu. During operation Protective Edge, Gold was one of Israel's most prominent spokesmen on foreign networks. He is considered one of the best and most effective English speakers in Israeli leadership. His name was mentioned as a candidate for Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and also held several conversations with Netanyahu on the position.
At the end of his role in the public sector, Gold served as president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. In this role, Gold was active in the international arena on behalf of Israel and was involved in various dialogues with representatives of Arab countries. He was one of the few to confront Justice Richard Goldstone, who headed the inquiry committee for the United Nations following operation Cast Lead.
In 2011, as a private citizen, Gold was asked by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to review the Palestinian attempt to recognize the ICC's jurisdiction over their territory. Additionally, Gold's book, "The political war on Jerusalem," was a bestseller in the US and was translated into Chinese and published in Beijing by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. His 2009 book "The Rise of Nuclear Iran," was on the bestseller list of the Washington post.
