Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in closed conversations in recent weeks that he does not intend to keep Israeli Ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog for another year in the post, against a background of severe differences of opinion that emerged between Netanyahu’s office and Ambassador Herzog, according to a Channel 13 report on Thursday.
According to the report, Herzog’s tenure is expected to run out in four months.
Michael Herzog, a national security expert and veteran peace negotiator, is also President Isaac Herzog’s brother.
Gilad Erdan expected to replace Herzog
The report also stated that sources close to Netanyahu said that Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan is a possible candidate to replace Herzog.
At the end of his tenure in domestic politics following the 2020 elections to the Knesset, Erdan was appointed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to serve as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations and, following the 2020 US presidential election, as Ambassador to the United States. This dual diplomatic role, last held in the 1950s by Abba Eban, marked a significant milestone in Erdan’s career.
He was initially sworn in as Regional Cooperation Minister in Israel’s 35th Government on May 17, 2020, but this position was short-lived as he soon transitioned to his international diplomatic duties. His time as ambassador to the U.S. concluded when he was succeeded by Mike Herzog on November 15, 2021.
Erdan’s diplomatic journey continued to evolve as he took on a role of broader international significance. In 2022, he was elected to serve as one of the vice-presidents of the General Assembly for its seventy-seventh session. In this capacity, he represents the Western states, continuing his influential work in global diplomacy. Erdan was expected to end his tenure in summer of 2024.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office or Ambassador Herzog commented on the issue.
This is a developing story.
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