Israelis stroll by a billboard in Jerusalem celebrating Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election. AFP
The Israeli government announced on Sunday that it has greenlit the nomination of Yechiel Leiter, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the nation's ambassador to the United States. This development follows US President-elect Donald Trump's selection of conservative Mike Huckabee as his pick for US ambassador to Israel under his forthcoming administration.
"The government has unanimously endorsed the appointment of Dr. Yechiel Leiter as ambassador to the United States," the foreign ministry stated in an official release. A former advisor to Netanyahu, Leiter, aged 65, hails from the United States and currently resides in a settlement within the occupied West Bank. A close ally of the US Republican Party, Leiter was once a prominent figure within the Yesha Council, a coalition representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank during the 1990s. He is also a member of Netanyahu's Likud party and presently serves as a strategic advisor to Israeli think tanks.
Leiter's son, Moshe, tragically lost his life in combat in November 2023 during the Gaza Strip conflict, which erupted between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas following its assault on southern Israel in October the previous year. Yechiel Leiter will assume the ambassadorial position following Trump's inauguration next year, succeeding Mike Herzog, the brother of President Isaac Herzog, who was appointed in 2021.
Leiter has been a vocal critic of US President Joe Biden, denouncing "American pressure" during the Gaza conflict in an interview with private Israeli channel Tov in January. Israel warmly welcomed Huckabee's nomination this month, recognizing him as a steadfast supporter of the country's government. In 2017, Huckabee attended the expansion of one of Israel's largest settlements in the West Bank, Maale Adumim.
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