Cabinet approves career official and settlement activist Yechiel Leiter as next US ambassador

By Lazar Berman

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24 November 2024, 11:57 am

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Yechiel Leiter, whom Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped to serve as Israel's next ambassador to the US, is applauded during Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress, after the prime minister tells the story of Leiter's son, who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip; July 24, 2024. (Screen capture via YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The cabinet unanimously approves Yechiel Leiter, a career official active in the settlement movement, as Israel’s next ambassador to the United States.

He will assume his post on January 24, 2024, after Donald Trump returns to the White House.

In the cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says that he is sure that Leiter will contribute significantly to “the strengthening of Israel’s most important relationship — with the United States,” according to Sa’ar’s office.

Sa’ar also praises current Ambassador Mike Herzog for his work in Washington.

Leiter’s son, Maj. (res.) Moshe Leiter, was killed fighting Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip on November 10, 2023, following the terror group’s October 7 attack against Israel.