From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Herzog receives credentials of 5 new female ambassadors
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
President Isaac Herzog receives the credentials of the new ambassadors from five countries, including close friends of Israel — El Salvador, Malta, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nauru.
The incoming ambassadors — all women — are welcomed by the IDF Band and an IDF honor guard, after which they present their letters of credence in the Great Hall of the president’s residence in Jerusalem.
Herzog holds a working meeting with each ambassador after the ceremonies.
El Salvador’s envoy, Susana Edith Gun de Hasenson, returns for her second posting as ambassador in Israel. The two discuss El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele’s plan to establish a volcanic-energy powered “Bitcoin City.”
Malta’s ambassador, Cecilia Attard Pirotta, also returns for her second ambassadorial posting in Israel. She and Herzog discuss Mediterranean regional affairs and growing tourism between the countries.
Costa Rican envoy Rita María Hernández Bolaños presents her letter next.
“Costa Rica is especially beloved by us,” says Herzog. “It has been a friend of Israel since its establishment, and we will always remember its support. It is a country that Israelis who visit love intensely.”
Ecuador’s Helen Sophie Deller Klein, the country’s first Jewish envoy to Israel, and Herzog discuss her family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Europe to Latin America.
Herzog discusses with Margo Deiye, Nauru’s non-resident ambassador who is also its UN representative, the effects of climate change on the Pacific island nation. Herzog thanks Nauru for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital after the United States.
The Times of Israel Community.