Israeli diplomat Asaf Zamir tells Foreign Ministry officials that he “stands behind” his public remarks criticizing the judicial overhaul.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israel’s Consul General in New York, Asaf Zamir, was summoned to Jerusalem by the Foreign Ministry after he made critical remarks regarding a planned overhaul of Israel’s judicial system.

Speaking at a fundraising event for the Anu Museum in New York last week, Zamir said he was “deeply concerned” about the judicial overhaul.

Zamir stressed his worry “about the direction the country is going in right now” and said that “if we want a national home and we want it to be everyone’s home, it has to be democratic.”

A clip of Zamir’s comments went viral in Hebrew-language media, attracting the attention of Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Appointed by former prime minister Yair Lapid in 2021, Zamir is not expected to be immediately removed from his position, according to an Israel Hayom report.

However, as a diplomat representing the Jewish state, Zamir is expected to maintain a non-partisan position on Israeli government policies. Should Zamir continue to publicly express disapproval of internal legislative matters, he may be fired from his post.

David Roth, the deputy director of North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contacted Zamir to inform him of his summons.

According to a Walla report, Zamir said that he “stands behind my words” and that he “said them from my heart.”

In 2018, Zamir challenged longtime Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai in municipal elections. Zamir was easily defeated by Huldai.

Zamir, a member of the Blue and White party headed by Benny Gantz, became a member of Knesset in 2019. He served as tourism minister in 2020.

Yitzhak Zamir, the diplomat’s uncle, served as Supreme Court judge from 1994 to 2001.

After the current coalition government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in, two Israeli diplomats resigned from their positions in protest.

Israeli Ambassador to France Yael German and Ambassador to Canada Ronen Hoffman immediately quit their posts, rather than serve under Netanyahu.

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Visits to strategic and holy sites, briefings and meetings with top officials underline Israeli diplomatic outreach.

By TPS

A delegation of 12 ambassadors to the United Nations and their spouses arrived in Israel on Tuesday to tour the country for “a deep understanding of the challenges facing the State of Israel .”

The delegation includes the envoys from Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ecuador, Hungary, Nauru, Palau, South Korea, Samoa, Uruguay and Zambia, representing a variety of countries from the UN’s different regional groups.

Albania, represented by Ambassador Besiana Kadare, will begin serving on the UN Security Council in January.

The visit was initiated by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan and the American Zionist Movement.

In Israel for a week, the ambassadors will tour historical sites including the Kotel (Western Wall), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, high-tech, innovation, and development centers, and more.

They will visit the IDF’s Northern and Southern Commands, receive security briefings from IDF officials, tour a Hezbollah terror tunnel on the northern border, visit an Iron Dome battery, and visit the Nevatim Airbase in the south and receive a briefing on the F-35 aircraft.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet with President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

Erdan stated that the delegation “is of great importance. It is an opportunity to present to them the truth about the State of Israel.”

He explained that at the UN, “many lies are spread against Israel and after a week of comprehensive visits, I am convinced that the ambassadors will return to their countries and the UN with a deep understanding of the challenges facing the State of Israel and our contributions and solutions to global problems.”

“From my experience in bringing ambassadors to Israel, I am sure that the visit will increase their activity within their foreign ministries to grow collaboration with Israel within the UN,” he added.

Deborah Isaac, President of the American Zionist Movement, said that she hopes that the ambassadors “come away from the experience with a deeper and more realistic perspective of Israel and the threats it faces, as well as an appreciation for the rich and diverse culture of the State of Israel.”

In November, Erdan hosted US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on a similar visit.

World Israel News staff contributed to this report.

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Israeli diplomats working abroad were told to remain on high alert.

By Tobias Siegal, World Israel News

Following the arrest of an Azari national suspected of planning to assassinate Israelis in Cyprus, Israel has warned all of its diplomatic missions around the world of a potential attack, Channel 12 reported Wednesday evening.

Israeli diplomats working abroad have been instructed to remain on high alert and to prepare for a possible attack in the near future.

Israel’s intelligence community firmly believes the arrested Azari is a professional hitman who was hired by Iran to carry out attacks against Israelis living in Cyprus.

“I can clarify on behalf of the security establishment, that this was an act of terror that was orchestrated by Iran against Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus,” read a statement issued by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett earlier this week.

The following day, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that the plot was orchestrated by Iran as an act of revenge for the killing of Iran’s chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in 2020. He noted that the incident was a “warning signal” for Israel but stressed that “the State of Israel knows how to protect its citizens.”

Still, he said, “what is important is that Israelis are cautious and listen carefully to warnings by security forces and the defense establishment.”

The incident in Cyprus is the latest example of the growing tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran.

Earlier this year, as COVID travel restrictions were easing up due to Israel’s rapid vaccination campaign, allowing Israelis to travel more freely, the country’s National Security Council issued a travel advisory to Israeli citizens abroad. The council warned Israelis of a potential Iranian attack, which would most likely target civilians. The warning followed several security incidents related to Iran, including January’s attack outside Israel’s Embassy in New Delhi, India, later attributed to a local Shi’ite terrorist cell backed by Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, and the attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that took place only a few weeks later.

Last week, while attending the World Peace Forum in Normandy, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, reportedly told Israel’s Maariv that “the war with Israel has already started.”

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Sharon Wrobel/The Algemeiner contributed to this report.

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