GOVERNMENT

Yechiel Leiter

Ambassador

Yechiel Leiter, appointed Israel's ambassador to the United States during the past year, assumed his post at one of the most sensitive moments in the history of the bilateral relationship. A longtime policy intellectual and former senior Israeli official, Leiter was tasked with rebuilding consensus around Israel in Washington amid war, campus unrest, and growing polarization. His influence has centered on outreach — to lawmakers, Jewish communal leaders, and opinion shapers — as Israel seeks to defend its strategic aims while preserving its most critical alliance.