From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Hotovely approved as head of National Public Diplomacy Directorate
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The cabinet approves Tzipi Hotovely, the former Israeli ambassador to the UK, as the head of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office, filling a position that has been vacant for some two years.
She will take office on May 5.
“In her various roles, Hotovely worked, among other things, to promote the image of the State of Israel, was interviewed extensively by international media outlets around the world, and fought in the international public relations arena during the war,” the PMO says.
The last head of the directorate, Moshik Aviv, resigned in May 2024 and was not replaced, even as Israel fought wars on several fronts and faced severe and mounting global criticism among both allies and adversaries.
Hotovely, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and former deputy foreign minister, has drawn backlash for her remarks over the years, including for saying in 2017 that American Jews “never send their children to fight for their country,” a statement for which she later apologized.
Hotovely served as Israel’s ambassador in London from 2020 to 2025. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, is slated to take over the UK posting but has been prevented from doing so because he is under investigation in connection with a probe into a classified document leak.
The restrictive conditions on Braverman were lifted last month, allowing him to soon take up the post.
The Times of Israel Community.