Israel Turns to a Champion of the Settler Movement as Its Next Washington Envoy, Just in Time for the Inauguration of Trump

Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a move that is seen as a rebuke of President Biden’s policy of punishing Jewish settlers, intends to name a champion of Judea and Samaria, Yechiel Leiter, as the next Israeli ambassador to Washington. The Scranton, Pennsylvania-born Mr. Leiter is a prolific writer and activist. He has served in various government capacities, including as top aide to Prime Minister Sharon. He was chief of staff to Mr. Netanyahu during his successful stint as Israel’s finance minister.Mr. Leiter is “an extremely talented diplomat, well-spoken, and he has deep understanding of the American culture and politics,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “I’m sure he will do very well in his new role, and wish him success.”The new ambassador is expected to take office at the Washington embassy on January 20, when he will replace Michael Herzog, the brother of President Herzog. The timing, coinciding with President Trump’s inauguration, is far from coincidental. Mr. Netanyahu is hoping for major shifts in American policy on Israel, including with regard to settlers such as the incoming ambassador. The 65-year-old Mr. Leiter moved to Israel in 1978 and joined the Israel Defense Force as a combat medic, including during the 1982 Lebanon war. One of his sons, Moshe Yedidia Leiter, was killed while fighting in Gaza last November. Mr. Netanyahu expressed condolences to his political ally and former aide on national television. Two years after the Lebanon war, Mr. Leiter settled with his growing family at Kiryat Arba, at the heart of the Arab-majority city of Hebron. There, he was ordained as rabbi, a title that added to his well-padded resume: a Haifa University Ph.D. in philosophy and political sciences, numerous essays, and four books, including on the Jewish origins of a British philosopher, John Locke. Between 1989 and 1992 Mr. Leiter led the Hebron-area Jewish community at a time of constant clashes between the settlers and the Arabs of Hebron. The Jews of Hebron were widely considered at the time one of the top stumbling blocks to a Washington-led diplomatic process known as a “two-state solution” to the Arab-Israeli dispute.In 1992, Mr. Leiter moved with his family to Eli, a Jewish village in the biblical Binyamin district where he lives now. The village is near Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Biden, in an attempt to balance his military aid to Israel since October 7, 2023, is listing for sanctions a growing number of West Bank settlers that the Department of State considers violent and harmful to peace prospects. That policy will almost surely shift dramatically when Trump returns to the White House. The president-elect’s former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, a champion of Jews living in Judea and Samaria, remains close to Trump.Mr. Friedman is reportedly being considered for a high position in the new administration. Mr. Leiter is hoping to tighten an alliance with him and several other national security aides to Trump. By picking his new ambassador, Mr. Netanyahu is signaling that Israel is anticipating a new page in relations with its biggest world ally.

Israel Turns to a Champion of the Settler Movement as Its Next Washington Envoy, Just in Time for the Inauguration of Trump

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