WASHINGTON — The timing was mere coincidence, but as political turmoil ensnared the Israeli government in Jerusalem, the nation’s new ambassador to America was facing the Washington press corps yesterday.

The envoy, Sallai Meridor, expressed his personal hope that the embattled prime minister, Ehud Olmert, would stay on, even as Israeli’s foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, called for him to resign.

At a long-scheduled event at the National Press Club, Mr. Meridor told reporters that he could make no predictions about the fate of Mr. Olmert, but he reiterated that the prime minister has said he will not step down. “I certainly hope that he would stay on,” Mr. Meridor said.

He also held forth on a wide array of foreign policy issues affecting Israel, saying the country is willing to “compromise” in an effort to achieve peace while it faces a growing number of threats to its security. He described a military buildup by Syria as a danger to Israel. “We hope it’s not offensive, but we’re not sure,” he said.

Mr. Meridor said Israel has told Syria it has no “offensive intentions” toward it.

The event was held by the Israel Project, a nonprofit aimed at educating the press and promoting “security, freedom, and peace.”