The Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations is the de facto Israel Ambassador to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
| Name[1] | Years served | U.N. Secretary(ies)-General | Prime Minister(s) of Israel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abba Eban | 1949–1959 | Trygve Lie, Dag Hammarskjöld | David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Sharett | |
| 2 | Michael Comay | 1960–1967 | U Thant | David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol | |
| 3 | Gideon Rafael | 1967–1968 | U Thant | Levi Eshkol | |
| 4 | Yosef Tekoah | 1968–1975 | U Thant, Kurt Waldheim | Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin | |
| 5 | Chaim Herzog | 1975–1978 | Kurt Waldheim | Yitzhak Rabin, Menahem Begin | |
| 6 | Yehuda Blum | 1978–1984 | Kurt Waldheim, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Menahem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir | |
| 7 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 1984–1988 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir | |
| 8 | Yohanan Bein | 1988–1990 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Yitzhak Shamir | |
| 9 | Yoram Aridor | 1990–1992 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Yitzhak Shamir | |
| 10 | Gad Yaacobi | 1992–1996 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres | |
| 11 | Dore Gold | 1996–1999 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| 12 | Yehuda Lancry | 1999–2002 | Kofi Annan | Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon | |
| 13 | Dan Gillerman | 2002–2008 | Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon | Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert | |
| 14 | Gabriela Shalev | 2008–2010 | Ban Ki-moon | Ehud Olmert, Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| 15 | Meron Reuben | 2010–2011 | Ban Ki-moon | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| 16 | Ron Prosor | 2011–2015 | Ban Ki-moon | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| 17 | Danny Danon | 2015–2020 | Ban Ki-moon, António Guterres | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| 18 | Gilad Erdan | 2020–2024 | António Guterres | Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid | |
| 19 | Danny Danon | 2024– | António Guterres | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Post: | Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations |
| Incumbent: | Dani Danon |
| Incumbent Since: | August 17, 2015 |
| Style: | Diplomatic mission |
| Formation: | 1949 |
| Inaugural: | Abba Eban |
The Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations is the diplomatic mission of the State of Israel to the United Nations in New York. As such, it reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations is led by Ambassador Danny Danon, who replaced Ron Prosor in 2015, as Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and former Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Danon presented his credentials to UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson on October 19, 2015.
On May 11, 2020, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Gilad Erdan, minister of internal security, would be Israel’s new ambassador to the UN and in an unusual move, would also become the ambassador to the United States after the 2020 elections.[2] [3]
The Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations is Ambassador Noa Furman.
Israel's Permanent Mission represents the State of Israel, its citizens and the Jewish people on the global stage of the United Nations. For over 65 years, Israel's delegation has worked to promote international peace, prosperity, and security through UN institutions. Today, Israeli diplomats share the unique expertise and cutting-edge innovations of the Start-up Nation in the halls of the UN to help address pressing global challenges – from public health to environmental issues to sustainable development.
In order to successfully carry out its mandate, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations has nearly 30 staff members, including diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and civil servants. They prepare and negotiate resolutions and texts for adoption by the various UN organs.
Staff members of the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations also organize visits by the Israeli authorities to the UN headquarters, notably during the general debate that opens the annual session of the UN General Assembly, which traditionally takes place in September.