Netanyahu Appoints New Israeli Ambassador to United States
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Feb. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday officially tapped Yechiel Leiter, a former top government official, as the new ambassador to the United States.
“Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I am convinced that Yechiel will represent the State of Israel in the best way possible. I wish him success in his position.”
Over the course of his career, US-born Leiter has served in several major public service roles within the Jewish state, including as deputy director-general of Israel’s Education Ministry and as acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company. He also served as chief of staff to Netanyahu when the latter was finance minister.
Leiter, an ordained rabbi, will take office on Jan. 20, when US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. He will replace Michael Herzog, the outgoing ambassador and older brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Yehiel Leiter. Photo: Screenshot
Leiter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and later moved to Israel in 1978 at the age of 18. His 39 year-old son, Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, was killed during battle in northern Gaza on Nov., 10, 2023. He left behind six children and a wife.
While eulogizing his son, Leiter directly addressed US President Joe Biden and urged him to cease all attempts to restrain Israel from responding to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.
“We were both born in Scranton, Pennsylvania,” Leiter said, “and as of last Friday, I, like you, am a bereaved parent; you lost a son, and I lost a son.”
“You know the pain that I’m feeling now. The harrowing sense of darkness, the stabbing at the heart, the longing to once again hug your boy, to talk to him about life,” he added, before outlining his son’s multifaceted life — including his 15 years in the Israeli military’s special forces, his medical studies, and his role as a father of six, with a newborn son “who will never know his father.”
“So we have two things in common. That’s why I’m taking the liberty,” Leiter said. “He was fighting your fight, Mr. President.”
Leiter then laid out what he saw as the stakes in the current Israel-Hamas war.
“He gave his life so the barbarians wouldn’t get through the gates of democracy and the Judeo-Christian Western values. He was fighting for human freedom and against all the lies and distortions of the freedom deniers who fooled so many Americans with their double talk. He was fighting against Hamas-ISIS,” said Leiter, who then addressed rumors of US pressure on Israel to cease its military offensive.
“I respectfully ask of you, here on my son’s grave, cease and desist. Stand back, Mr. President, don’t pressure us. Let us do what we know how to do and what we must do: defeat evil.”
Leiter has lived in West Bank settlements and long been active in their establishment and growth.
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