The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to the United States of America () is the ambassador of the State of Israel to the United States.
It is generally regarded as the most prestigious position in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the close diplomatic and military relationship between the two countries. The ambassador and the embassy staff at large work at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
On 25 February 1949, Eliahu Eilat was appointed as the first ambassador to the U.S. Since he left the position, 21 individuals have been appointed as ambassadors to the U.S. The longest-serving ambassador is Abba Eban, who represented Israel from 28 May 1950 to the summer of 1959, while the shortest tenure as an ambassador is held by Gilad Erdan, who served from 27 June 2021 to 5 September 2021. The incumbent ambassador is Yechiel Leiter, who was appointed by the 37th government of Israel on 24 January 2025. Including Leiter, four ambassadors have been American citizens: Arens was a naturalized citizen, while Oren, Dermer, and Leiter were born in the U.S.
List + Name(in Hebrew) Photo Tenure Start End Length(year range)Eliahu Eilat(אליהו אילת) REFAbba Eban(אבא אבן) REFAvraham Harman(אברהם הרמן) REFYitzhak Rabin(יצחק רבין) REFSimcha Dinitz(שמחה דיניץ) REFEphraim Evron(אפרים עברון) REFMoshe Arens(משה ארנס) REFMeir Rosenne(מאיר רוזן) REFMoshe Arad(משה ארד) REFZalman Shoval(זלמן שובל) REFItamar Rabinovich(איתמר רבינוביץ) REFEliahu Ben-Elissar(אליהו בן-אלישר) REFZalman Shoval(זלמן שובל) REFDavid Ivry(דוד עברי) REFDaniel Ayalon(דני אילון) REFSallai Meridor(סלי מרידור) REFMichael Oren(מייקל אורן) REFRon Dermer(רון דרמר) REFGilad Erdan(גלעד ארדן) REFMichael Herzog(מיכאל הרצוג) REFYechiel Leiter(יחיאל לייטר) present REF
See also Israel–United States relations List of Israeli ambassadors List of ambassadors of the United States to Israel List of consuls general of Israel to the United States
Notes
References
External links Israeli Ambassadors to the United States (1948-Present) Former Ambassadors to the U.S.