Amman, Jordan. Einat Shlain has been nominated as the new Israeli ambassador to Jordan and is expected to begin her appointment 2015. Photo: David Bjorgen via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org –  The Foreign Ministry announced 12 new diplomatic corps appointments on Sunday, including seven female ambassadors. For the first time, a woman is Israel’s new ambassador to Jordan.

Einat Shlain, head of the international division at the Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Research Center, has been with the Foreign Ministry for 22 years, and has been a Middle Eastern affairs adviser with the Israeli Embassy in Washington. She is expected to assume office in mid-2015, replacing current Ambassador to Jordan Daniel Nevo.

The Foreign Ministry also named five other female ambassadors — Aliza Ben-Nun to France; Tamar Samash to Romania; Irit Lilian to Bulgaria; Simona Frankel to Belgium, and Yael Ravia to Cyprus — as well as a female consult-general for Atlanta, Judith Varnai.

“The Foreign Ministry is spearheading a gender revolution,” said Vered Swid, head of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women at the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The fact that women make up the majority of appointments in the current nominations round — seven out of 12 nominations — is a source of pride to Israeli women.”

The Foreign Ministry’s appointments are pending government approval.