Yigal Palmor is the Head of the International Relations Unit and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman at the Jewish Agency for Israel, where he had previously served for four years as Director of Public Affairs and Communications. He was the longest serving Spokesperson and Head of Press Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel from August 2008 to August 2014.[1] Prior to this post, he served stints in Israel's embassies in Madrid (where he was a junior member of the Israeli delegation to the Madrid Conference of 1991) and in Paris, served as Deputy Director of the European Institutions department, and later as Director of the Maghreb, Syria and Lebanon department. He was a spokesperson of the Israeli delegations in a number of peace summits, including the Casablanca and Cairo Regional Economic Summits [2] and the Annapolis Conference. In February 2013, he was elected "Best Government Spokesperson" in a survey of Israeli journalists.[3]
He made headlines when he called Brazil an "economic and cultural giant but a diplomatic dwarf" in July 2014, in response to Brazil being the only country (with Ecuador) to recall its ambassador for consultations over Israel's military operation in Gaza.[4][5] However, his statement encountered a supportive follow-up in many of Brazil's leading media,[6][7] who used it to criticize their own government's policy,[8][9] while in Israel, it was Israeli president Reuven Rivlin's apology that came under severe criticism itself.[10] When the 2023 Israel–Hamas war broke out, this quote was used again by Brazilian politicians and journalists to criticize their government's stance.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
On 27 May 2014, it was reported that his retirement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was imminent, after a career spanning 28 years.[18] Dubbed "a central pole of Israel's communications apparatus", his departure was seen as part of a wave of senior diplomatic resignations due to the weakening of the Foreign Ministry under Avigdor Lieberman.[19] He left the Ministry in September 2014,[20] and joined the Jewish Agency in November of that same year, where he worked closely with Agency's Chairman Natan Sharansky, and later with Chairman Isaac Herzog and Chairman Doron Almog.
He initiated, on behalf of the Jewish Agency, the Diasporas 2017 international conference, which convened Government ministers and officials from 29 countries around the world to discuss issues related to their national diasporas, the relations between diaspora and home country and cooperation between different national diasporas at home and abroad. In this groundbreaking event, participants presented their policies for contact with their diasporas, discussed how these policies are realized through a variety of initiatives, programs and partnerships, and explained the main challenges they face in developing these activities.[21][22][23][24] This conference launched an ongoing cooperation between The Jewish Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greece) and the Presidential Commissioner for Cypriots Abroad. A number of trialateral summits were held, a joint mission of Greek and Cypriot diaspora leaders was hosted in Jerusalem at the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors, and a trialteral young diaspora leaders mission visited Jerusalem, Athens and Nicosia. [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]
He is the author of the "Diplomatic Cliché Collection" (הקלישאון הדיפלומטי), a compilation of conventional forms of speech in diplomatese and their real, ironic meaning. Or, as Haaretz described it: "A semi-humorous paper intended to translate the euphemisms uttered by leaders, foreign ministers, diplomats and government spokespeople when they are faced with difficult questions".[33][34][35][36]
He has published articles in the international media on issues such as Israel's diplomacy,[37][38][39] the Jewish Agency [40] and antisemitism [41]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Foreign Ministry names new spokesman". 26 February 2008.
- ^ "Middle East/North Africa Economic Summits". 19 June 2000.
- ^ "דירוג הדוברים הראשון - התוצאות הסופיות".
- ^ "Israel slams 'diplomatic dwarf' Brazil for recalling envoy to protest Gaza operation". 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Brazil Recalls Israel Envoy to Protest 'Disproportionate Force' in Gaza". 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Israel chama Brasil de "anão diplomático". E está certo!". 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Um erro do Estadao.E o dia em que discordei de ume autoridade israelense". 11 August 2014.
- ^ "Desproporcional não é só o 7 a 1". 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Anão diplomático". 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Against Foreign Min. recommendation, Rivlin apologizes to Brazil for criticism of ambassador recall". 12 August 2014.
- ^ Duda Teixeira (13 October 2023). "A volta do "anão diplomático"".
- ^ Folha de S.Paulo (28 November 2023). "Ex-porta-voz de Israel que chamou Brasil de anão diplomático diz que posição do país é decepcionante".
- ^ J.R. Guzzo, Estadão (6 December 2023). "Governo Lula prometeu protagonismo internacional, mas reforça Brasil como anão diplomático".
- ^ Daniel Schnaider (26 December 2023). "The Diplomatic Dwarf Syndrome".
- ^ Editorial,Gazeta do Povo (14 January 2024). "O "anão diplomático" consegue se apequenar ainda mais".
- ^ Cláudio Humberto (16 February 2024). "Lula alinha o País a anões diplomáticos, diz líder de grupo Brasil-Israel".
- ^ Daniel R. Schnaider (26 December 2023). "The Diplomatic Dwarf Syndrome".
- ^ Tova Dvorin (27 May 2014). "'Mass Exodus' of Foreign Ministry Officials: Yigal Palmor, veteran MFA spokesman, reportedly considering retirement. Is this the latest in a string of resignations?".
- ^ Ariel Kahana (27 May 2014). "גל עזיבות במשרד החוץ: גם הדובר התפטר".
- ^ Herb Keinon (12 September 2014). "Of Soundbites and Disinformation".
- ^ The Jewish Agency (6–8 March 2017). "Diasporas 2017 International Seminar".
- ^ EJP (3 March 2017). "Israel to Host International Conference on Homeland-Diaspora Relations".
- ^ The Knesset (official website) (6 March 2017). ""Diaspora-Homeland Relationship" seminar opens at the Knesset with gala dinner for 140 senior foreign officials".
- ^ David Israel, The Jewish Press) (2 March 2017). "Israel to Host Groundbreaking Conference on Relations Between Homelands and their Diasporas".
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic (13 January 2020). "Consultations between Greece, Cyprus and Israel on diaspora issues (Athens, 13 January 2020)".
- ^ The Jerusalem Post (14 December 2018). "Jewish Agency leaders meet in Cyprus to strengthen diaspora communities".
- ^ Embassy of Israel in Cyprus (12 December 2018). "Trilateral meeting in Nicosia on diaspora issues".
- ^ Presidential Commissioner (13 January 2020). "Cyprus, Greece and Israel conclude trilateral meeting on diaspora cooperation".
- ^ Cypriot Federation UK (27 February 2019). "Cyprus-Israel-Greece Diaspora Leaders Trilateral Summit in Jerusalem".
- ^ "Trilateral Diaspora Youth Trip to Israel, Greece and Cyprus". 27 February 2019.
- ^ American Hellenic InstitutK (4 March 2019). "AHI President Participates at Trilateral Disapora Conference in Jerusalem".
- ^ Jerusalem Post (27 August 2019). "Jewish, Greek and Cypriot young professionals in 'Birthright'-type trip".
- ^ Barak Ravid (30 January 2015). "After Congress Speech Scandal, Netanyahu Is Toast at White House".
- ^ Barak Ravid (30 January 2015). "בגלל התעקשותו לנאום בקונגרס - נתניהו שרוף בבית הלבן".
- ^ Oren Nahari (23 January 2017). "בלוח השחמט של המזרח התיכון, הבטחות הן רק הבטחות".
- ^ Barak Ravid,Amit Segal (23 March 2016). "זוג או פרט: הקלישאון - מילון המונחים לדיפלומט". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^ Yigal Palmor (15 January 2002). "Il ne faut pas confondre sécuritaire et religieux".
- ^ Yigal Palmor (6 January 2024). "Gaza's post-war future: Many questions, few answers".
- ^ Yigal Palmor (9 January 2024). "El futuro de Gaza en la posguerra: muchas preguntas pocas respuestas".
- ^ Yigal Palmor (12 February 2019). "How I Met Someone I Shouldn't".
- ^ Yigal Palmor (7 December 2023). "The "New New Antisemitism" of Denial".
External links
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- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official website (in English)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official website (in Hebrew)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official website (in Arabic)
- Israeli Missions Around the World [1]
- All Ministers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Knesset website (in English)