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Last update - 16:05 03/05/2009
Netanyahu candidate Michael Oren tapped as U.S. envoy
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Michael Oren, Israel News 

A university professor who advocates for Israel to unilaterally withdraw from the West Bank is set to be appointed the country's next ambassador to Washington.

Dr. Michael Oren, who is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's candidate for the position, received Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's endorsement over the weekend, following separate meetings with Netanyahu and Lieberman on Thursday.

The cabinet must now approve the appointment at its weekly meeting Sunday to set the decision in stone. Oren would then take up the position before Netanyahu's expected meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on May 18 or 19.
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Oren, a visiting Georgetown University professor, said in a lecture there last month, "The only alternative for Israel to save itself as a Jewish state is by unilaterally withdrawing from the West Bank and evacuating most of the settlements."

He beat several high-profile candidates for the position, including ex-Likud MK Zalman Shoval, who served twice before as ambassador to the United States, Dr. Dore Gold, who served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to 1999, and Alon Pinkas, who served as Consul General in New York from 2000 to 2004.

Oren received a Ph.D. in Near East studies from Princeton University in 1986. He has lectured as a visiting professor at several leading American
universities, including Harvard and Yale.

During Israel's January offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza, Oren volunteered as a military liaison officer, briefing reporters outside Gaza.

Oren will replace Salai Meridor as Israel's top envoy in the U.S.

Oren has written several books, including a 2002 study of the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai desert, and a 2007 view of U.S. policy in the Middle East from 1776 to the present era called Power, Faith and Fantasy.

In his commentaries and appearances, Oren has expressed a wide variety of views. Netanyahu has resisted calls for a West Bank pullback, warning that Palestinian extremists could take over and endanger Israel.

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      1.   Unilateralsim will be a Hard Sell 20:09  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/09
      2.   Why Him? 20:33  |  Ralph Levy 02/05/09
      3.   #1, Mark of Lewiston 21:54  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/05/09
      4.   Dr. Oren, a Likud ideologue, is no peace maker. Go with Tom Segev 22:09  |  Wedi Asmara... 02/05/09
      5.   #1 stumbles doing the shuffle 22:56  |  peter 02/05/09
      6.   Oren sounds like a reasonable guy... 23:03  |  Esther 02/05/09
      7.   3 Cipora - True 23:17  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/09
      8.   The propagandist Oren gets his reward 23:20  |  peacelover 02/05/09
      9.   Oren`s job is to fundraise not be involved in policy matters 23:45  |  Jeff 02/05/09
      10.   Good man, but... 23:46  |  Roger 02/05/09
      11.   Think It Through, Peter 23:46  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/09
      12.   The problem is... 23:53  |  Esther 02/05/09
      13.   Oren 00:29  |  Abe 03/05/09
      14.   Terrific choice 00:39  |  brien duffy 03/05/09
      15.   hopefully someone strong enough to stand up to the US 01:56  |  Mark 03/05/09
      16.   Oren 02:01  |  Rivka 03/05/09
      17.   Unilateralism and Lieberman endorsment 02:44  |  jim the mechanic 03/05/09
      18.   #2 03:28  |  Jane 03/05/09
      19.   3. Cipora, Don`t push your luck.... 03:35  |  Dutch 03/05/09
      20.   Mazel Tov to Dr. Michael Oren.... 03:37  |  Smadar 03/05/09
      21.   Brilliant 05:07  |  Moishe Goldstein 03/05/09
      22.   To Rapph Levy #2 `Why him?` 05:11  |  Colin Wright 03/05/09
      23.   and Oren`s newest leader 05:32  |  Ben Temalion 03/05/09
      24.   He is not a flakey leftist... 05:38  |  Jewish State 03/05/09
      25.   brilliant 06:48  |  felix 03/05/09
      26.   Be afraid, be very afraid 07:08  |  Student 03/05/09
      27.   Peter`s Presumptions 07:20  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/05/09
      28.   Cipora - We Wouldn`t Want To 07:27  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/05/09
      29.   Oren`s leader he volunteered for 08:14  |  Ben Temalion 03/05/09
      30.   Dr Oren is a first-rate individual 08:40  |  Daniel Z 03/05/09
      31.   #11, Dutch 08:41  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/05/09
      32.   Wrong candidate 09:07  |  Brod 03/05/09
      33.   2 Ralph - Why Him? 09:08  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/05/09
      34.   cheap PR 09:12  |  Northern 03/05/09
      35.   If the Obama administration keeps what it promises..... 09:54  |  Swiss (Dino) 03/05/09
      36.   #14 Moishe, M.O. is certainly the best salesman 10:08  |  Ardi 03/05/09
      37.   Using the word "Tapped" is such cooool journalism! 10:28  |  Dave 03/05/09
      38.   Michael Oren 10:36  |  Sarah Lascar 03/05/09
      39.   Prof. Michael Oren, a left wing choice...? NO. 11:29  |  Stephen. 03/05/09
      40.   Look likes bibi will cave in to pressure 12:08  |  guess whom 03/05/09
      41.   Again, far too many posters here seem to believe.... 13:47  |  Swiss (Dino) 03/05/09
      42.   To Brod#23 Afraid,be very afraid..AND I AM.. FOR THE REASONS 14:57  |  KATHY 03/05/09
      43.   A Fantastic Choice 15:15  |  Jane 03/05/09
      44.   Unbelievable choice 15:16  |  Yoel 03/05/09
      45.   An American to be a U.S Envoy in America?How so? 15:33  |  JUST ME 03/05/09
      46.   Dutch #12 15:36  |  D. 03/05/09
      47.   To Ralph Levy.#2 Yes Why Him? 15:41  |  Kathy 03/05/09
      48.   Oren`s view 15:44  |  WHG 03/05/09
      49.   #26 Dave - Why? Israel was always tapping ambassadors to the US.. 15:48  |  S 03/05/09
      50.   JUST ME - You are Wrong 15:57  |  Jane 03/05/09
      51.   To Ralph Levy..A Short Addendum.. 16:24  |  Kathy 03/05/09
      52.   I`M JUST HOPING 17:17  |  indrajaya 03/05/09
      53.   Well Jane..THE FRUIT OF THE PUDDING WILL BE IN THE EATING NO? 17:42  |  Kathy 03/05/09
      54.   #32 - Just Me 17:45  |  MichaelF 03/05/09
      55.   If the Swiss Bigot (# 28) doesn`t approve of Oren,... 18:28  |  flyingdoc57 03/05/09
      56.   He speaks English clearly--that`s huge. 18:30  |  Pioneer 03/05/09
      57.   Mike Oren 18:32  |  Avi Yerushalmi 03/05/09
      58.   Just Me #32, Oren is renouncing his US citizenship for this post 18:35  |  Noam 03/05/09
      59.   kathy dear kathy #38 read the article first... 18:56  |  S.Illy Mare 03/05/09
      60.   Oren is Anything but a Run of the Mill Lefty 19:37  |  Jane 03/05/09
      61.   Noam# 44 For your information,thank you. 19:54  |  JUST ME 03/05/09
      62.   #43 Lebanon 2006 Tat Aluf Miri Regev.. 20:19  |  Ardi 03/05/09
      63.   Haaretz Please Put Out my post To#46 It is Important. 20:37  |  Kathy 03/05/09
      64.   Great choice. Netanyahu is making all the right moves 20:47  |  BradL 03/05/09
      65.   Hullo? 21:14  |  BB 03/05/09
      66.   kathy dear kathy #38 read the article first... 21:26  |  S. I. Llymare 03/05/09
      67.   #1 Mark of Lewiwton 21:26  |  Don 03/05/09
      68.   Oren seems a man of principle, dangerous to ethnocrats 22:14  |  Ivar 03/05/09
      69.   To the Pioneer..Are you one of our "pioneers"? Actually you are.. 23:53  |  Jasmine 03/05/09
      70.   To #46 S.Illy Mare.Sorry,sorry,and Thank You,Thank You. 00:03  |  Kathy 04/05/09
      71.   to CJ Kohn #3 02:00  |  zeev 04/05/09
      72.   Solves the Main Problem with Israeli Diplomacy 02:19  |  ARTH 04/05/09
      73.   51 Don - A Problem of Definition & Understanding 02:20  |  Mark of Lewiston 04/05/09
      74.   two states "essential" - then Abbas must accept a Jewish Israel 03:42  |  steve 04/05/09
      75.   The Hasbara of Settlement Expansion 07:28  |  Binyamin 04/05/09
      76.   #20, Mark stumbling about 07:40  |  peter 04/05/09
      77.   The world left this conflict too late for a 2-State ! 08:39  |  Akram Zekaria 04/05/09
      78.   Not helping. Why Netanyahu won, after all. 10:04  |  philtlucre 04/05/09
      79.   to steve #61 14:43  |  zeev 04/05/09
      80.   Is Abass ego worth all this bother ! 15:25  |  Akram Zekaria 04/05/09
      81.   to MichaeIF ..You See I was Right,and you WRONG! 16:13  |  JUST ME 04/05/09
      82.   on Akram Zekaria #69 17:50  |  zeev 04/05/09
      83.   A unilateral withdrawal from Palestian land? Wunderbar. 17:52  |  Lou Medel 04/05/09
      84.   Dr. Oren is an excellent choice. 18:09  |  Lou Medel 04/05/09
      85.   to Lou Medel #84 20:40  |  zeev 04/05/09
      86.   This conflict needs a fortune teller than a Dr ! 08:08  |  Akram Zekaria 05/05/09
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