Danny Ayalon
Danny Ayalon | |
---|---|
Ambassador to the United States | |
Personal details | |
Born | Tel Aviv, Israel | 17 December 1955
Daniel "Danny" Ayalon (
Early life and education
Danny Ayalon was born in Tel Aviv in 1955. His late mother Lily Ellon immigrated to Mandatory Palestine from Poland in 1937, thereby escaping the Holocaust, in which members of her extended family perished. His father, Rafael Ayalon, immigrated from Algeria to Mandatory Palestine before the establishment of Israel in 1948. Both of his parents fought in the War of Independence, 1948 Arab–Israeli War. His mother fought in the War of Independence in Jerusalem, and was wounded in battle, and his father fought in the Golani Brigade. Ayalon was raised and educated in Tel Aviv and was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces where he rose to the rank of captain in the Armored Corps. He received a BA in economics from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.[1]
Prior to his career in public service, Ayalon was a partner at Gravitas Ltd., an international consulting group, past president of private investment firm Hod Ayalon Ltd, and a finance manager for Koor Industries.[2][3]
Ayalon is married to Anne Ayalon, who is from an American Evangelical Christian family. Ayalon met her while she was on internship in Israel, and she converted to Judaism.[4][5] The couple has two daughters, Zohar and Avigail.[1] He is a cousin of Orit Noked.[6]
Foreign service career
Ayalon was a member of the Israeli delegations to Sharm el-Sheikh (1997),
Israel's Ambassador to the United States
Ayalon was appointed Israel's Ambassador to the United States in 2002 by then Prime Minister
Throughout his time in Washington, Ayalon cultivated a strong relationship with President
Co-chairman of Nefesh B'Nefesh
Upon retiring from the foreign service in 2006, Ayalon became the co-chairman of Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organization that encourages Aliyah by Jewish people to Israel from North America and other English-speaking areas.[11] Forming alliances with government bodies in Israel and Jewish organizations from around the world, he played a critical role in Israel's decision to fund private Aliyah beginning in September 2007. On 31 December 2008, Ayalon left Nefesh B'Nefesh "to pursue an independent political career opportunity".[12]
Danny Ayalon was considered to be a highly valued and professional diplomat by senior government officials around the world including former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.[13]
Deputy Foreign Minister
Election and appointment
In August 2008, Ayalon joined Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu as chairman of World Yisrael Beiteinu,[12] opening branches of the party around the globe. Ayalon explained that Israel Beiteinu was a natural fit for him as he entered politics because he saw many problems, especially with Israeli foreign policy.
Ayalon is working to reform the Israeli parliamentary style democracy into a less representative democratic government. Such change will allow Israel to have a greater unity of government and to take more uniformed political positions.[8]
Ayalon was placed seventh on the party's list for the 2009 elections to the Knesset,[14] and was elected in February 2009 after the party won 15 seats.[15] In April 2009, Ayalon was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's newly elected government.[16] According to The Jerusalem Post, "Ayalon's role is to serve as Lieberman's de facto foreign minister, explaining and justifying his Lieberman's diplomatic plans to the world in a way that only a respected, seasoned diplomat can".[8]
In December 2012, Ayalon was one of three Yisrael Beiteinu MKs not included on the party's list of candidates for the January 2013 elections. Ayalon "issued a statement saying he was thankful for the opportunity to serve as deputy foreign minister for four years and pledged to continue to act in the country's interests in any future role."[17]
Government and electoral reform
According to Ayalon, a major focus of Israeli diplomatic work involves branding: "We must brand Israel as a democratic Western society, productive and technologically advanced, one that contributes to the world and helps solve the major challenges facing humankind. Israeli democracy in general, and its political system in particular, are the best tools with which to showcase our brand". However, Ayalon, who admires the American system, in conjunction with Lieberman, calls for political and electoral reform in Israel to create greater accountability and consistency within the government, stating: "In autocratic regimes you have maximum govern-ability, because the leadership can make decisions without an opposition, and there are no checks or balances. Here, we are perhaps too far toward the other extreme; we have almost complete representation with little governability".[18] In his opinion, "a homogenous government, comprised of like-minded ministers speaking with one voice and representing a singular policy framework is required to contribute to clear public diplomacy, the sort of diplomacy that Israel sorely needs now to combat the cohesive narrative and branding effort put forth by the Palestinians".[19]
Foreign policy
Ayalon aims to develop and expand Israel's diplomatic ties worldwide and to form new coalitions through economic and political cooperation and greater foreign aid.
- Israel–U.S. Strategic Dialogue
Ayalon maintains a strong relationship with the United States. He serves as Israel's representative in the semi-annual Israel–U.S. Strategic Dialogue.[23]
- Israeli–Arab relations
In an appeal to the Arab world, Ayalon wrote a piece for the pan-Arab newspaper,
At the sixth annual international WATEC-Israel exhibition in November 2011, Ayalon offered the Arab world to share Israel's advanced water technologies. "Israel will benefit from a peace agreement, but you will also gain a genuine partner for development and the assured welfare of future generations in the region," Ayalon said at the opening session.[25]
- Israeli settlements
Ayalon slammed the claims that settlements were the cause of violence, citing the pre-state 1929 Arab killing of Jews in Hebron.[26] He has criticized world leaders who accuse Israel of destroying the peace process by building in East Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Gilo.[27]
In 2005, as Israel's representative to the United States, Ayalon supported
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
According to Ayalon, "the real obstacle to peace is Palestinian rejection of Israel and the self-determination of the Jewish people". He has condemned Palestinian claims which "deny the Jewish people's connection with its homeland", and the
Ayalon called the
- Iran
At the
- Refugees
Ayalon has appealed to the
- Turkish Relations
Ayalon became internationally known in early 2010, after he summoned the Turkish ambassador to Israel, Ahmet Oğuz Çelikkol, to complain about a Turkish television series,
- Holy See Negotiations
In December 2009, Ayalon led high-level diplomatic discussions with the
International aid
Ayalon supports expanding Israel's global initiatives through
In January 2011, Ayalon and
Also in February 2011, Ayalon signed a joint declaration of cooperation on water supply and sustainable energy technology management with Polish Minister of the Environment Bernard Blaszczyk. Israel and Poland will cooperate to promote investment, the exchanging of technologies, and the sharing of information.[44]
Videos
In a video titled "The Truth About the West Bank" released by the Israeli foreign ministry in June 2011, Ayalon presents a historical narrative meant to help wage the public diplomacy battle about Israel's ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. In the video made in cooperation with StandWithUs, which is very similar to one released earlier by the Yesha council, the organization of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Ayalon asks viewers to stop referring to the West Bank as "occupied territories". "It is time for Israel to return to a 'rights-based diplomacy' and talk about the facts, rights, history and international law which are little known but give a dramatically different viewpoint to what is currently accepted," he said after the video's release.[45] After the video was posted online, Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Authority's top negotiator, denounced the video as a "falsified account of history and international law", but refused to participate in a public debate on the issues raised in the video proposed by Ayalon.[46]
Two more videos starring Ayalon were released: "The Truth About the Peace Process" in September 2011, and "The Truth About the Refugees" in December 2011.[47]
In 2017, Ayalon released a video titled "The true history of the Palestinian people" based on the book
Social media
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ayalon has worked to expand Israel's social media diplomacy by helping the ministry maintain over 100 Facebook pages, including "Israel speaks Arabic", a page written in
Community service and involvement
Ayalon has served as a member of the Executive Board at the
In partnership with "Latet," Ayalon asked the workers at the Foreign Ministry as well as Green-Israel and Alma-Gilro to donate food to make over 100
Ayalon has been a co-host on the English speaking
Since 2014, Ayalon has been serving as a visiting professor of foreign policy studies at Yeshiva University. He is the founder of The Truth About Israel, a nonprofit organization that defends Israel in the social media.
Awards and recognition
In 2005, Ayalon received the Brandeis Award of the Jewish Community of
References
- ^ a b Ayalon, Danny. "On a Personal Note". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Ambassador Danny Ayalon". American Friends of Hebrew University. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ "Account Suspended". www.dannyayalon.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "חדשות - פוליטי/מדיני nrg - ...יום הבחירות: דני איילון -". www.nrg.co.il.
- ^ "JewishPost.com - American Christians: The Righteous Gentiles of Today?". www.jewishpost.com.
- ^ https://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/heb/family.asp [bare URL]
- ^ "Ambassador Ayalon Assumes Post at Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C." The Jewish Federation of North America. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Hoffman, Gil (22 December 2008). "Avigdor Lieberman's New Foreign Minister". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ Danan, Deborah (13 January 2011). "Exclusive interview with Danny Ayalon". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Ravid, Barak (14 January 2012). "U.S. to grant three-year extension of loan guarantees to Israel".
- ^ "Ambassador Danny Ayalon Resigns As Co-Chairman of Nefesh B'Nefesh". The Five Towns Jewish Times. 23 October 2008. [permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Levi Julian, Hana (19 October 2008). "Danny Ayalon Resigns as Nefesh B'Nefesh Co-Chairman". Arutz 7.
- ^ Condoleezza Rice, No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington, 2011, pp. 130, 140–141
- ^ Branovsky, Yael (22 December 2008). "Lieberman to approve Yisrael Beiteinu roster". Ynetnews. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ Ilan, Shahar (12 February 2009). "Final election results: Kadima 28 seats, Likud 27, Yisrael Beiteinu 15". Haaretz.
- ^ "Daniel Ayalon, MK". Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ Fisher, Gabe (4 December 2012). "Lieberman boots Deputy FM Ayalon from Yisrael Beytenu's Knesset slate". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny (12 February 2011). "Desperately Seeking Political Courage". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny (30 January 2012). "Branding for Change". Israel Hayom.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny. "Jerusalem Finally Has a Foreign Policy". Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Ronen, Gill (1 June 2011). "Dep. Foreign Minister to Address Org. of American States". Arutz 7.
- ^ "DFM Ayalon meets with DFM Arrocha of Panama". Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013.
- ^ "Joint Statement on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue". U.S. Department of State.
- ^ Danny, Ayalon (16 December 2009). "An Open Letter to the Arab World". Asharq Alawsat.
- ^ Udasin, Sharon (16 November 2011). "Officials stress water cooperation at conference". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny (29 March 2011). "Israel and the Occupation Myth". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Lidman, Melanie. "Ayalon defends Gilo plan despite Quartet condemnation". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ "In Gaza, a Test Case for Peace". The Washington Post. 20 July 2005.
- ^ "Ayalon: "Israel had to end Freeze to avoid seeming weak."". The Philadelphia Jewish Voice. 5 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny (27 November 2010). "Palestinian revisionism is the only obstacle to peace". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Ayalon: Gaza flotilla was a 'provocation'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Sofi, Roni (1 July 2010). "Ayalon: Gazans are provided for". YnetNews.
- ^ a b "DFM Ayalon met with German Min. Niebel; attended Munich Security Conference". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012.
- ^ Keinon, Herb (9 February 2011). "Ayalon urges UN human rights chief to cancel Iran trip". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Keinon, Herb (12 September 2011). "Ayalon blasts UNRWA, saying it perpetuates conflict". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Fleisher, Malkah (13 January 2010). "Ayalon Apologizes to Turkish Ambassador". Arutz 7.
- ^ Ravid, Barak (13 January 2010). "Peres: Humiliation of Turkey envoy does not reflect Israel's diplomacy".
- ^ Sofer, Roni (10 December 2009). "Israel's talks with Vatican fail". YnetNews.
- ^ Eichner, Itamar (31 January 2012). "Vatican to pay property tax in Israel". YnetNews.
- ^ Ban, Ki-moon. "Remarks with Israeli Deputy Minister Daniel Ayalon, Mashav (Israel's National Agency for International Development) and members of the Government of Israel Haiti Medical Team". UN News Centre.
- ^ "Israel first to set up field hospital in Japan". The Jerusalem Post. 21 March 2011.
- ^ Ayalon, Danny (7 February 2011). "Israel" Partnering in Global Development". Huffington Post.
- ^ Eichner, Itamar (1 February 2011). "Israel, Germany to save Lake Victoria".
- ^ Ronen, Gill (24 February 2011). "Poland, Israel to Cooperate on Water, Energy". Arutz 7.
- ^ Hartman, Ben. "Ayalon launches campaign to tell 'truth about W. Bank'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Ronen, Gill. "Erekat Chickens Out of Duel with Ayalon". Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "Ayalon's Youtube Channel". YouTube.
- ^ Danny Ayalon presents:The true history of the Palestinian people, Israel National News, 3 November 2017
- ^ "The Truth About Jerusalem". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Israel Speaks Arabic". Facebook.
- ^ "Israel speaks Arabic". Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ "Ayalon's Facebook Page". Facebook.
- ^ JTA Twitter 100: Return of the Jewish Twitter List' Archived 14 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine [The Jewish Telegraph Agency, 30 December 2010
- ^ Ayalon, Danny. "Danny Ayalon's Official Twitter Page".
- ^ Ayalon, Danny. "The Truth About the Refugees: Israel Palestinian Conflict". YouTube.
- ^ 'The FP Twitterati 100' Foreign Policy, 20 June 2011
- ^ 'The most successful politicians on the internet' Dimpool – Web Based Policy Center, 19 May 2011
- ^ "IAN Teleconference: Amb. Danny Ayalon". The Jewish Federation of North America. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Levi Julian, Hana (11 October 2009). "Ayalon Celebrates Torah Learning, Sukkot at Aish HaTorah". Arutz 7.
- ^ "Reaching out to Holocaust survivors". dannyayalon.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Israel Turns "Sadness into Joy" on Purim". United with Israel: The Global Movement for Israel. 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Project "Lending a (Diplomatic) Hand to the Community"". dannyayalon.com.
- ^ "Co-Hosting on the Rusty Mike Radio Show". dannyayalon.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Daniel Ayalon, MK". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
External links
- Ayalon's Official English Website
- Ayalon's Official Hebrew Website
- Danny Ayalon on the Knesset website
- Ayalon's Official Facebook Page
- Ayalon's channel on YouTube
- Yisrael Beiteinu's Official English Website
- Yisrael Beiteinu's Official Hebrew Website
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official English Website
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official Hebrew Website
- All Ministers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Appearances on C-SPAN