Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he had decided to appoint his senior adviser Ron Dermer as Israel's next ambassador to the U.S.
Dermer met with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro on Tuesday. In recent weeks, Dermer has also met with a number of other American officials and informed them of Netanyahu's intention to appoint him to the top spot at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
According to reports both in Israel and Washington, Dermer's candidacy as ambassador had been in question for some time, as he was considered a "red sheet" in Obama administration circles for his perceived support of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in last summer's race.
Army Radio reported that Dermer had managed to improve his ties with the Obama administration, and with Secretary of State John Kerry in particular. It reported that the Obama administration had now removed its objection to Dermer's appointment. Obama's recent trip to Israel was apparently instrumental in this, the report stated.
Israeli diplomatic officials praised the appointment, saying it was vital that Israel's ambassador to the U.S. be someone with open access to the prime minister.
For the past four and a half years, Dermer has served as Netanyahu's senior adviser and has dealt with diplomatic issues. From 2005 to 2008, Dermer worked at the embassy in Washington as Israel's economic attache to the U.S.
Dermer, 42, was born in Miami and was raised in the U.S. He immigrated to Israel in 1997 and is married and a father of five. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and also holds a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University.
In 2004, Dermer co-authored the book "The Case For Democracy: The Power Of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror" with Natan Sharansky.
"Ron Dermer has all the qualities necessary to successfully fill this important post," Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday. "I have known him for many years and I know that Ron will faithfully represent the State of Israel in the capital of our greatest ally, the USA. On behalf of the citizens of Israel, I wish him great success."
Dermer will replace Michael Oren in the fall. Oren has served as Israel's ambassador to the U.S. for the past four years.
On Twitter on Tuesday, Oren wrote, "I wish to express my warmest congratulations to Ron Dermer who has been appointed by PM Netanyahu as Israel's ambassador-designate to the U.S. As Ron's close friend and long-time colleague, I know that he's uniquely qualified and is deeply committed to the historic U.S.-Israel alliance."
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee welcomed Dermer's appointment.
"Mr. Dermer has a deep understanding of the critical value of the U.S.-Israel relationship and the importance of further strengthening the alliance between these two democratic allies," AIPAC said in a statement. "We also express our gratitude to Ambassador Oren for his service over the past four years as he worked tirelessly and effectively to bolster the bond between the United States and Israel."
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