Netanyahu’s chief of staff tapped as next ambassador to UK
Tzachi Braverman still faces suspicion of forgery over the alleged illegal alteration of records in the Prime Minister’s Office
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman was approved as Israel’s next ambassador in London on Monday.
The appointment came on the last day of Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s term.
Braverman was selected by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee. His nomination will need to be confirmed by the cabinet but is expected to go through.
Braverman, who, along with his wife, is a close friend and ally of the Netanyahu family, has been the prime minister’s chief of staff since April 2022, when Netanyahu was the opposition leader. Braverman kept the job when Likud won an election later that year and Netanyahu became prime minister.
Braverman is under investigation for suspected forgery and fraud over the alleged illegal alteration of records in the Prime Minister’s Office, and has been questioned by police. He is suspected of having altered the stated time at which Netanyahu first gave instructions on how to deal with the Hamas invasion on the morning of October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu’s office at the time firmly denied the allegations of Braverman’s misconduct, calling them “another complete fabrication that is also part of an unprecedented media witch hunt against the Prime Minister’s Office during wartime, designed to whitewash the grave failures of others on the night of October 7.”
Braverman, too, has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “slander” and “wild incitement.”
Braverman previously served as the cabinet secretary from 2016 to 2020 during Netanyahu’s previous premiership.
During this time, Braverman was also the subject of controversy when he allegedly tried to influence the Judicial Selection Committee to promote his wife to a district court judge.
Holding a law degree from Bar-Ilan University, Braverman began his career as the spokesman of the Ness Ziona municipality and director general of its educational and cultural institutions before switching to national politics and heading the 2013 campaign for Likud.
Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.