Foreign Ministry Spokesman Set to Take Over as Media Liaison at Jewish Agency

Outgoing Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Yigal Palmor is to assume a key position at the Jewish Agency for Israel.

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On November 1, Palmor will take over as the director of communications for the quasi-governmental organization that in recent years has become increasingly focused on serving as a bridge between Israel and the Diaspora.

Palmor, 53, will assume this high-profile Jewish world position following a long career in the Israeli Foreign Service. He has served as chief spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of its press bureau since 2008. Between 2004 and 2008, he headed the ministry’s Maghreb, Syria and Lebanon desk. Prior to that, Palmor was deputy director of the department for European organizations and spokesman at both the embassy in Paris and the embassy in Madrid.

The position of director of communications at the Jewish Agency has been unfilled for more than a year, ever since the departure of Ofer Lefler, who served in the position for a very short period before taking over as spokesman of the Israel Airports Authority.

Asked about his new appointment, Palmor told Haaretz he was not willing to comment at this stage.

In recent years, the Jewish Agency has put less focus on its traditional role of encouraging immigration to Israel and more emphasis on strengthening Jewish identity abroad. In the past year, however, it has played a key role in bringing thousands of French Jews to Israel.