Benjamin Netanyahu, apparently still unaware of the revolution now ongong in the world, has appointed a Kahanist settler to be his next ambassador to Washington, According to Haaretz, Yechiel Leiter, whose appointment takes effect on Jan. 20, was born in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel four decades ago. He has been actively involved in supporting Jewish settlements in the West Bank, particularly in Hebron, and currently lives in the settlement of Eli. The post of ambassador to the U.S. is Leiter’s first diplomatic job, after working for decades writing and researching at right-wing Israeli and American research institutes. He also served as a senior fellow at the Kohelet Policy forum, the organization that promoted legislation in 2023 aimed at weakening Israel’s judiciary.
In his youth, Leiter was active in the Jewish Defense League, an organization founded in the U.S. by Rabbi Meir Kahane and later designated as a terrorist organization by U.S. authorities. He was part of a group of activists within the organization who eventually moved to live in settlements in the West Bank.
Hadar Susskind, the CEO of Americans for Peace Now, said that “Netanyahu has never been subtle, and this appointment is no different. Sending a Kahanist settler to Washington is a clear sign that Netanyahu and his government are moving toward their goal of annexation and doing so openly. We will continue to oppose his disastrous agenda.”
According [https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-taps-former-official-settlement-activist-yechiel-leiter-as-next-us-ambassador/] to the Times of Israel, Leiter was Netanyahu’s third choice for the job. He had first offered the post to Strategic Affairs minister Ron Dermer and then to Ophir Falk, who has been involved in negotiations for a hostage/ceasefire deal with Hamas, after Dermer turned it down. Falk also declined.
