Shoval, Gold, Pinkas vying to be U.S. envoy?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a decision this week on who will be the new Israeli ambassador to Washington, according to a source in the Prime Minister?s Bureau. At present there are at least three leading candidates: Zalman Shoval, Dore Gold and Alon Pinkas.?

Netanyahu has still not made a final decision, and will consult on the matter with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on who the replacement of Ambassador Salai Meridor will be in Washington.?

The post of Ambassador to Washington is considered to be a position of trust for the prime minister, but it should also have the backing of the Foreign Minister, the minister to whom the ambassador is directly answerable to.?

One of the surprising candidates is former Likud MK Zalman Shoval, 79, who served twice before as ambassador to the United States. Shoval is very close to Netanyahu and participates in his political meeting. His first term as ambassador came after he resigned from the Knesset in 1990, and lasted until 1993. The second appointment was in 1998, and lasted until 2000, when he was replaced by David Ivri.?

Another candidate close to Netanyahu is Dr. Dore Gold, who also participates in his political meetings. Gold served as Israel?s ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to 1999, and before that was an adviser to Netanyahu. Gold appears to enjoy significant support from leading Jewish leaders in the U.S., but he is also perceived as a hawkish figure which may make it difficult for him to work closely with the current U.S. administration.?

Another candidates is Alon Pinkas, who served as Consul General in New York from 2000 to 2004, and before that was diplomatic adviser to foreign ministers Shlomo Ben-Ami and David Levy. Pinkas was a Labor candidate for the Knesset in the past, but during the last elections expressed his support to Netanyahu and advised him on his meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton six weeks ago.