Israeli Cabinet unanimously approves appointment of settlement supporter Yechiel Leiter as ambassador to US

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of American-Israeli Yechiel Leiter as Israel's new ambassador to the United States, approximately two weeks ago. Leiter will replace Michael Herzog, the brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

On Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet unanimously approved Leiter’s appointment, which he will officially start on Jan. 24, 2025, just days after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. 

The appointment of Leiter, a staunch Netanyahu ally within the Likud party, leader in the Jewish settler movement, and supporter of the Gaza war effort, is widely viewed as a signal of Netanyahu’s expectation that the Trump administration will adopt a less adversarial approach to settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) compared to U.S. President Joe Biden.

Leiter is also an opponent of the two-state solution proposed in the Oslo Accords and wrote a book in 1994 called, "A Peace Plan to Resist," laying out his arguments against a Palestinian state. He has also called for Israel to apply sovereignty over the whole of Judea and Samaria. 

This stance is also favored by coalition members like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, possibly contributing to the Cabinet’s unanimous approval. 

Leiter, who has a PhD from Haifa University, has also been a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. In that role, he has written supportively of the Abraham Accords, as well as normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia. 

In announcing the appointment, Netanyahu said that Leiter is “a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics.” 

“I am convinced that Yechiel will represent Israel in the best possible way, and I wish him success in his role,” the prime minister added. 

Leiter’s appointment to the position of ambassador to the United States was welcomed by Yesha Council head Israel Ganz, who called him “a key partner in English-language advocacy for Judea and Samaria.” 

Leiter’s son, Moshe, was killed last November in combat in Gaza. Leiter used the occasion of his son’s funeral to call out Biden, also from Scranton, Pennsylvania, for putting diplomatic pressure on Israel to tone down the Gaza campaign. 

“This is a war of light against darkness, of truth against lies, of civility against murderous barbarism,” Leiter said at the time. “Take it from one plain-speaking Scrantonian to another – we’re going to win this one, with you or without you.” 

With his appointment, and with Trump appointing several pro-Israel members to his administration, many political analysts in Israel believe that the Jewish settler movement in Judea and Samaria will continue to grow.