Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the appointment of his senior advisor, Ron Dermer, as Israel's Ambassador to the United States.
Dermer will replace outgoing Ambassador Michael Oren.
"Ron Dermer possesses all the required characteristics to serve in this important position successfully. From many years of acquaintance with him I know that Ron will faithfully represent the State of Israel in the capital of our biggest ally – the United States. On behalf of the citizens of Israel I wish him the best of luck," said Netanyahu.
Florida-born Dermer, 42, married and father of five, served in the past as an economic attaché to the Washington embassy from 2005 to 2008. He is a graduate of the Wharton Pennsylvania University Business School and has a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University.
Dermer immigrated to Israel in 1997. He once wrote in the now defunct New York Sun that he “left America because I wanted to help another nation I love defend the freedoms that Americans have long taken for granted.”
He has a background of political activism in the Republican party, having worked with the GOP in the 1994 mid-term elections before going to Oxford.
In 2004, Dermer co-wrote with Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky the book "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror". The book became a best-seller and was translated into ten languages.