Zvi Mazel
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Reuven_Rivlin_hosting_the_Egyptian_Ambassador_to_Israel_at_a_festive_occasion_marking_the_40th_anniversary_of_Sadat%27s_visit%2C_November_2017_%281000%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Zvi Mazel (
.Education and work experience
Mazel was born in
From 1969 to 1973, he served as First Secretary of the Israeli Embassy in
From 1980 to 1982, he served at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, during the thaw period between Israel and Egypt that ended with the 1982 Lebanon War. During this period, he also held the post as director of Eastern European division and head of the Egyptian and North African department at the Foreign Ministry.
In 1989 he was posted as ambassador to
In 1992 he was appointed Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry in charge of African affairs and was instrumental in reestablishing diplomatic relations between Israel and 19 African countries. In 1996 he returned to Egypt as an ambassador, and remained five years in that country.[1][2][3]
In 2002, he was appointed ambassador to Sweden, and served in this position until 2004. He retired from the foreign service in April 2004 at age 65.[4]
Mazel has written extensively on Israeli-Turkish and Israeli-Egyptian relations, commenting that Erdogan's attempts to reverse Atatürk's secular policies have put him and Turkey at odds with Israel and the Western world.[5] He sees pragmatic elements in the leaders of post-revolution Egypt, but dismisses the Muslim Brotherhood's potential for moderation.[6] He is a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.[1]
Ambassadorship to Sweden
While serving as ambassador to Sweden, Mazel became a controversial figure in the country.
At the same time Mazel embraced personalities seen as controversial in Sweden as "Israel-friendly". Most noted was in 2003, when Mazel appeared in a well known picture with Helge Fossmo, at that time only known as leader of an ultra-conservative religious group, later imprisoned as the person behind one of the most highly publicized murder cases in Sweden's modern history, the Knutby murder.
In January 2004, Mazel vandalized the
Mazel stated that "Sweden is among the most severely anti-Semitic places" with "daily agitations in the media to kill Jews."
In August 2009, the now-retired Mazel responded to the Swedish government's refusal to reprimand the tabloid
References
- ^ a b "Grapevine: It’s in the genes" Jerusalem Post
- ^ a b c "Porträttet: Zvi Mazel har sett värre saker" Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Dagens Nyheter
- ^ About ... Zvi Mazel Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- ^ "Anti-Israelism and Anti-Semitism in Sweden" Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- ^ "Analysis: Israel, Egypt, Turkey - shifting sands" Jerusalem Post
- ^ "Mazel:'Pragmatism prevails ahead of Egypt elections'" Jerusalem Post
- ^ a b "Anti-Semitism, in Sweden? Depends who you're asking " Haaretz
- ^ "Mazel till attack mot Andersson och Schori"Aftonbladet
- ^ "Ambassadör förstörde konst" Archived 6 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine Dagens Nyheter
- ^ "Sharon praises 'art vandal' envoy" BBC NEWS
- ^ "Art-Loving Israelis Don't Condemn Envoy's Vandalism" Los Angeles Times
- ^ AP: "Swedish museum to remove suicide bomber posters" Haaretz
- ^ a b "Sharon backs envoy's art attack" CNN 19 January 2004
- ^ "Israel Diplomat Defends Attack On Bomber Art In Stockholm" New York Times
- ^ a b "Israelisk attack mot konstverk" Svenska Dagbladet
- ^ "שבדיה: השגריר חיבל במיצג המחבלת, וזומן לבירור". 17 January 2004.
- ^ "Ambassadör förstörde konst". 17 January 2004.
- ^ "'There's no free press in Sweden'" Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Jerusalem Post
- ^ a b "Sweden condemned in Israeli press" Archived 28 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine Sydsvenska Dagbladet
- ^ Press Freedom Index 2009 Archived 28 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Pastoren møtte omstridt ambassadør" Verdens Gang
- ^ "Knutby- sekten hos ambassadör Mazel" Aftonbladet
- ^ "Israels ambassadör tackar Knutby-pastorn" Aftonbladet
External links
- How Egypt Molded Modern Radical Islam, Zvi Mazel