Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; ) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries.Ministry of Foreign Affairs Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in the government complex in Givat Ram, Jerusalem. Gideon Sa'ar currently holds the Foreign Ministry post.

History In the early months of 1948, when the government of the future State of Israel was being formed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was housed in a building in the abandoned Templer village of Sarona, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. Moshe Sharett, formerly head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, was placed in charge of foreign relations,Encyclopedia of Israel and Zionism, ed. Raphael Patai, Herzl Press/McGraw Hill, New York, 1971, pp. 339–340 with Walter Eytan as Director General.

In November 2013, the longest labor dispute in the history of the Foreign Ministry's workers union came to an end when diplomats signed an agreement that would increase their salaries and improve their working conditions. A new organization was founded, the Israeli Association for Diplomacy, with the mission of promoting the interests of Foreign Ministry staff. In response to issues raised, MK Ronen Hoffman arranged for the Knesset to launch a caucus entitled the "Caucus for the strengthening of the foreign service and Israeli diplomacy" in December 2014. Joined by politicians across the political spectrum, Hoffman said, "As long as the security establishment and the army are preferred over the foreign service, national security is damaged. A country whose foreign service doesn't take a central position doesn't act in the best national interest."

Diplomatic relations

Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 159 countries. It operates 77 embassies, 19 consulates-general and 5 special missions: a mission to the United Nations (New York), a mission to the United Nations institutions in Geneva, a mission to the United Nations institutions in Paris, a mission to the United Nations institutions in Vienna and an ambassador to the European Union (Brussels).

In October 2000, Morocco, Tunisia and the Sultanate of Oman closed the Israeli offices in their countries and suspended relations with Israel. Niger, which renewed relations with Israel in November 1996, severed them in April 2002. Venezuela and Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009, in the wake of the 2008–2009 Gaza War.

Foreign ministry building The new building of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiryat Ben-Gurion, the government complex near the Knesset, was designed by Jerusalem architects Kolker, Kolker and Epstein in association with Diamond, Donald, Schmidt & Co. of Toronto. The building consists of three wings: One houses the offices of the Foreign Minister and director-general, another houses the diplomatic corps and the library, and the third is used for receptions. The outside walls of the reception hall incorporate onyx plates that diffuse an amber light. In June 2001, the design won the prize for excellence from the Royal Institute of Architects of Canada. The building is described as a "sophisticated essay in the play between solid and void, mass and volume, and light and shadow."

List of ministers The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel (, Sar HaHutz) is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister. #MinisterPartyGovernmentsTerm startTerm endNotes1Moshe Sharett MapaiP, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 715 May 194818 June 1956Serving Prime Minister 1954–19552Golda Meir MapaiAlignment7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 1218 June 195612 January 19663Abba Eban AlignmentLabor PartyAlignment13, 14, 15, 1613 January 19662 June 19744Yigal Allon Alignment173 June 197419 June 19775Moshe Dayan Independent1820 June 197723 October 19796Menachem Begin Likud1823 October 197910 March 1980Serving Prime Minister7Yitzhak Shamir Likud18, 19, 20, 2110 March 198020 October 1986Serving Prime Minister 1983–19848Shimon Peres Alignment2220 October 198623 December 19889Moshe Arens Likud2323 December 198812 June 199010David Levy Likud2413 June 199013 July 1992–Shimon Peres Labor Party2514 July 199222 November 199511Ehud Barak Labor Party2622 November 199518 June 1996Not a Knesset member–David Levy Gesher2718 June 19966 January 199812Benjamin Netanyahu Likud276 January 199813 October 1998Serving Prime Minister13Ariel Sharon Likud2713 October 19986 June 1999–David Levy One Israel286 June 19994 August 2000–Ehud Barak One Israel284 August 200010 August 2000Serving Prime Minister14Shlomo Ben-Ami One Israel2810 August 20007 March 2001–Shimon Peres Labor Party297 March 20012 October 2002–Ariel Sharon Likud292 October 20026 November 2002Serving Prime Minister–Benjamin Netanyahu Likud296 November 200228 February 200315Silvan Shalom Likud3028 February 200316 January 200616Tzipi Livni Kadima3118 January 20061 April 200917Avigdor Lieberman Yisrael Beiteinu321 April 200918 December 2012–Benjamin Netanyahu Likud32, 3318 December 201211 November 2013Serving Prime Minister–Avigdor Lieberman Yisrael Beiteinu3311 November 20136 May 2015–Benjamin Netanyahu Likud3414 May 201517 February 2019Serving Prime Minister18Israel Katz Likud3417 February 201917 May 2020 19Gabi Ashkenazi Blue and White3517 May 202013 June 202120Yair Lapid Yesh Atid3613 June 202129 December 2022 Serving Prime Minister 21Eli Cohen Likud3729 December 20221 January 2024–Israel Katz Likud371 January 20245 November 202422Gideon Sa'ar New Hope375 November 2024

Deputy ministers

#MinisterPartyGovernmentsTerm startTerm end1Yehuda Ben-MeirNational Religious PartyGesher ZRC19, 2011 August 198113 September 19842Roni MiloLikud2124 September 198420 October 1986 3Benjamin NetanyahuLikud23, 2426 December 198811 November 19914Yossi BeilinLabor Party254 August 199217 July 19955Eli DayanLabor Party2624 July 199518 June 19966Nawaf MassalhaOne Israel285 August 19997 March 2001 7Michael MelchiorMeimad297 March 200126 March 20018Majalli WahabiKadima3129 October 200731 March 20099Danny AyalonYisrael Beiteinu3231 March 200918 March 201310Ze'ev ElkinLikud3318 March 201312 May 201411Tzachi HanegbiLikud332 June 20146 May 201512Tzipi HotovelyLikud3419 May 201521 April 202013Idan RollYesh Atid3612 June 202129 December 2022

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)

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