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Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer resigns from ministerial post
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has submitted his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Times of Israel revealed last week that Dermer would be resigning this week, handing over some of his responsibilities to Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter.
In his letter of resignation, Dermer notes that he had promised his family upon entering the government in December 2022 that he would only serve as minister for two years.
He says he extended his tenure twice with his family’s blessing: “The first time to work with you [Netanyahu] to remove the existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear military capabilities and the second time to end the war in Gaza on the terms set by Israel and to bring our hostages home.”
Dermer thanks Netanyahu for giving him the opportunity to serve.
“This government will be remembered both for the October 7 attack and for its management of the two-year, seven-front war that followed,” Dermer says.
“What the future holds for me I do not know, but one thing I know for sure: in everything I do, I will continue to do my part to secure the future of the Jewish people,” he writes.
The US-born Dermer is seen as Netanyahu’s closest adviser and has been handling a wide range of diplomatic issues, including ties with the US, the hostage negotiations during the Gaza war and Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors.
While stepping down from the government, Dermer will remain involved on certain issues, such as efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, and he will operate as a special envoy for Netanyahu, according to the source familiar with the matter.
However, additional responsibilities regarding ties with the Trump administration will be transferred to Leiter, who will stay on as ambassador in Washington.
The source familiar with the matter likened Dermer’s new role to the one held by Jared Kushner, who did not formally rejoin the government for US President Donald Trump’s second term, but has played a central role in the brokering and implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza on behalf of the American administration.
The Times of Israel Community.