Ambassador of Israel to the United States of America
שגריר ישראל בארצות הברית
Emblem of Israel
Portrait photo of Yechiel Leiter, the current ambassador, taken in 2023
Incumbent
Yechiel Leiter
since 27 January 2025
Residence Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C.
Appointer Cabinet of Israel
Inaugural holder Eliahu Eilat as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Formation 25 February 1949; 77 years ago (1949-02-25)[1]
Website new.embassies.gov.il/usa/en

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to the United States of America (Hebrew: השגריר יוצא הדופן והבכיר של ישראל בארצות הברית של אמריקה, romanized: Hashagrir Yotzei Hadofen Vehabakhir Shel Yisrael BeArtsot HaBrit Shel Amerika) is the ambassador of the State of Israel to the United States.[2]

It is generally regarded as the most prestigious position in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the close diplomatic and military relationship between the two countries. The ambassador and the embassy staff at large work at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

On 25 February 1949, Eliahu Eilat was appointed as the first ambassador to the U.S. Since Eilat left the position, 21 individuals have been appointed as ambassadors to the U.S. The longest-serving ambassador is Abba Eban, who represented Israel from 28 May 1950 to the summer of 1959, while the shortest tenure as an ambassador is held by Gilad Erdan, who served from 27 June 2021??? to 5 September 2021???. The incumbent ambassador is Yechiel Leiter, who was appointed by the 37th government of Israel on 24 January 2025.[3][4] Including Leiter, four ambassadors have been American citizens: Arens was a naturalized citizen while Oren, Dermer, and Leiter were born in the U.S.

List

Israeli diplomatic representatives to the United States
Name
(in Hebrew)[a]		 Photo Tenure Refs.
Start End Length
(year range)
Eliahu Eilat
(אליהו אילת)		 25 February 1949[1] 1950 1–2 REF
Abba Eban
(אבא אבן)		 28 May 1950 May 1959 8–9 REF
Avraham Harman
(אברהם הרמן)		 May 1959 February 1968 8–9 REF
Yitzhak Rabin
(יצחק רבין)		 February 1968 March 1973 4–5 REF
Simcha Dinitz
(שמחה דיניץ)		 March 1973 1979 5–6 REF
Ephraim Evron
(אפרים עברון)		 1979 1982 2–3 REF
Moshe Arens
(משה ארנס)		 1982 1983 0–1 REF
Meir Rosenne
(מאיר רוזן)		 1983 1987 3–4 REF
Moshe Arad
(משה ארד)		 1987 1990 2–3 REF
Zalman Shoval
(זלמן שובל)		 1990 1993 2–3 REF
Itamar Rabinovich
(איתמר רבינוביץ)		 1993 1996 2–3 REF
Eliahu Ben-Elissar
(אליהו בן-אלישר)		 1996 1998 1–2 REF
Zalman Shoval
(זלמן שובל)		 1998 1999 0–1 REF
David Ivry
(דוד עברי)		 1999 2002 2–3 REF
Daniel Ayalon
(דני אילון)		 4 October 2002 4 October 2006 3–4 REF
Sallai Meridor
(סלי מרידור)		 22 October 2006[5] 2009 2–3 REF
Michael Oren
(מייקל אורן)		 2009 2013 3–4 REF
Ron Dermer
(רון דרמר)		 28 July 2013[6] 2021 7–8 REF
Gilad Erdan
(גלעד ארדן)		 2021 2021 0 REF
Michael Herzog
(מיכאל הרצוג)		 5 September 2021[7] 24 January 2025??? 3–4 REF
Yechiel Leiter
(יחיאל לייטר)		 24 January 2025[4] present[3] 0–1 REF

See also

  • Israel–United States relations
  • List of Israeli ambassadors
  • List of ambassadors of the United States to Israel
  • List of consuls general of Israel to the United States

Notes

  1. ^ Hebrew names, read from right to left, link to the Hebrew Wikipedia articles for each ambassador.

References

  1. ^ a b Jaffe, Benjamin. "Eliahu Elath (Epstein)". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  2. ^ "FREINDSHIP, COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION Treaty, with Protocol and Exchange of Notes, between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ISRAEL". Electronic Database of Investment Treaties. World Trade Institute – University of Bern. 1951. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b השגריר יחיאל לייטר [Ambassador Yechiel Leiter]. Israeli Embassy Washington (in Hebrew). 22 July 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b Cabinet Secretariat (24 November 2024). מינוי שגריר ישראל לארצות הברית [Appointment of Israeli Ambassador to the United States]. Prime Minister's Office (in Hebrew). Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  5. ^ Cabinet Secretariat (22 October 2006). מינוי שגריר ישראל בוושינגטון, ארצות-הברית [Appointment of Israeli Ambassador to Washington, United States]. Prime Minister's Office (in Hebrew). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Cabinet Unanimously Approves Appointment of Ron Dermer as Israeli Ambassador to the US". Government of Israel. Prime Minister's Office. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  7. ^ Cabinet Secretariat (5 September 2021). מינוי שגריר ישראל לארצות הברית [Appointment of Israeli Ambassador to the United States]. Prime Minister's Office (in Hebrew). Retrieved 8 October 2025.