Israel has appointed a new ambassador to Canada.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced on July 19 that Ronen Hoffman will be the new envoy.
The post has been vacant since late 2019 when Nimrod Barkan stepped down.
Hoffman, who turned 58 on the day of his appointment, was a member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party from 2013 to 2015. He served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and chaired the subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Information.
He also served as chairman of the Israel-Canada Interfaith Friendship Association.
He worked as an information officer at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and was a personal aide to former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the 1992 elections. He was then involved in coordinating the Israeli delegation for peace talks with Syria between 1992 and 1994, according to biographical material.
Hoffman is considered an expert in crisis management, conflict resolution and anti-terrorism policy. He co-founded the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, and served as its CEO in 1996 and 1997.
In 1999, he completed a doctorate at King’s College London on Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations from 1992 to 1995.
He has lectured on governance, diplomacy, international relations and political psychology, and was a policy advisor to the ministry of defense during 2001.
“Canada is one of Israel’s closest friends, a friendship that stems from common democratic and liberal values,” Lapid tweeted on July 19. “Hoffman has served in positions that provide a broad toolbox. He has the required experience and professional knowledge to help him perform the role successfully.”
Hoffman thanked Lapid, saying “Canada is a large and important country, and our good, close ties with it are a strategic asset to Israel’s national security.
“I will fulfill this important mission with a deep sense of commitment and responsibility,” Hoffman added.
It was not immediately known when Hoffman will present his credentials and start work.
