Israel’s ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, has requested of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he be relieved of his position as ambassador to the United States in the immediate future, once a replacement is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Erdan also noted that even in the event that a replacement has not been appointed by November, he will not continue in his position beyond that date. He will, however, continue to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.
According to the terms of the coalition agreement signed by members of the previous government, Erdan is only supposed to serve as Israel’s ambassador to the United States until November, 2021, at which point former Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz would have become premier and appointed his own choice of ambassador to the position.
“I am proud to have had the privilege of representing the State of Israel before the most important of all the world’s nations,” Erdan wrote to Prime Minister Bennett. “Since my appointment, I have endeavored to build and anchor our relationship with the Biden administration, to strengthen the bond between us, and to maintain bipartisan support for Israel.
“The strong bonds that we formed with the administration proved themselves during the recent Guardian of the Walls operation, when the administration proffered its support to Israel and cooperated with us to halt initiatives against us in the UN Security Council. We also benefited from security assistance that enabled us to replenish and upgrade our stock of Iron Dome missiles.
“Nonetheless, it is only proper in my eyes that the person who represents the government before the American administration should be someone appointed by the current government [in Israel], and therefore I am notifying the Prime Minister of my intention to conclude my term as ambassador, immediately after a new ambassador is approved. I will continue to defend Israel at the United Nations and to fight for justice in the international arena,” Erdan concluded.