Ismail Haladi
Ismail HaladiForeign Ministry

The Israeli government today at its weekly meeting approved the appointments of 11 heads of Israeli missions around the world.

About 30% of the appointees are women and, for the first time, the appointment of a Bedouin diplomat to the post of Israeli ambassador has been approved.

Ismail Haladi was appointed Israeli Ambassador to Asmera, the capital and most populous city of Eritrea.

The appointments were approved about two weeks ago by the Foreign Ministry's Higher Appointments Committee.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi responded: "These appointments join the recent appointments approved by the government after I took office after a long period in which the appointments of heads of missions abroad were not promoted. These appointments are a significant milestone in the Foreign Ministry's recent changes with the increased budget for missions activities abroad."

"I am especially proud that at the beginning of my tenure as Foreign Minister, I brought to the government's approval a respectable representation of women as heads of representatives and that for the first time we approved the appointment of a representative of the Bedouin community to head an Israeli embassy abroad.

"Especially in these days of health and economic crisis, we see the capabilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help the State of Israel and its citizens deal with the plague and build economic bridges for the Israeli economy.

"I will continue to work to strengthen the Foreign Ministry's status as an influential and leading factor in the political decision-making process in Israel, and in the coming weeks I intend to approve additional appointments, that were delayed for a long time, to the heads of missions that are currently without permanent ambassadors or consuls."