Israeli Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

i24 News – Israel’s cabinet ministers on Sunday ratified the appointment of Ofir Akunis to the position of Israel’s Consul General in New York after a unanimous vote.

Mazal tov to Ofir Akunis, following Cabinet’s approval of his appointment as Israel’s next Consul General to NY! @IsraelinNewYork is one of the most important diplomatic posts, especially at this time, post Oct 7. Good luck & B’hatzlacha Ofir. 🇮🇱 🍎 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xKaklKNsq8

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) March 17, 2024

“I’m departing for the mission with my head held high as a Jew, as a Zionist, as an Israeli, in that order,” Akunis said of the appointment. “To serve the State of Israel and the Jewish people is the highest calling anyone could ask for. Especially at this time, which might be the most challenging ever, on a historical scale.”

The Likud high-flier’s previous role at the helm of the Ministry of Science and Technology will be filled by Gila Gamliel, also of the Likud party, whose Intelligence Ministry was shuttered earlier this year.

Akunis was selected to fill the vacancy left last year following the resignation of Asaf Zamir of Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party, who quit in protest of the Netanyahu government’s controversial judicial overhaul.

Since his first steps in party politics in the 1990s, Akunis has been close to Netanyahu, the dominant figure in Likud and Israeli politics in recent decades.

A lawmaker since 2009, Akunis has held several ministerial portfolios since 2015.