The government on Sunday authorized the appointment of 13 ambassadors and six consuls general to Israeli embassies around the world. The proposed appointments were brought to the cabinet for a vote by the Foreign Affairs Ministry after being cleared by an internal committee.
Deputy Director General for International Organizations and UN Affairs, Ronny Leshno Yaar, was appointed ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Deputy Director of Strategic Affairs, Miriam Ziv, was appointed ambassador to Canada. Director of the Southeast Asia Division, Giora Becher, was appointed ambassador to Brazil. Michael Eligal was appointed ambassador to Oslo.
New ambassadors were also appointed to Georgia, Uzbekistan, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Ethiopia, Argentina and the Czech Republic. Several of the new ambassadors will also serve as representatives in neighboring countries where Israel does not have a permanent diplomatic mission.
Among the consuls general appointed are Jackie Alden to Shanghai, Akiva Tor to San Francisco and Daniel Kutner to Philadelphia. The Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the cabinet's decision and noted that the early authorization of the appointments would allow the future emissaries to better prepare for their missions – which most will be embarking on this summer.
Three of the 19 embassy chiefs are women, two of these are intended for central locations in North America. "We believe that the appointment of women is very important, and this is evident in their appointment to prominent Israeli embassies around the world," said ministry spokeswoman Yael Ravia-Tzadok.