List of ambassadors of Israel to the United States

Ambassador of Israel to the United States
Ambassador of Israel to the United States
שגריר ישראל בארצות הברית
	Coat of Arms of Israel
	Incumbent; Yechiel Leiter; since January 27, 2025
Nominator	Prime Minister of Israel
Inaugural holder	Eliahu Eilat
Formation	1948
Website	Embassy

The Israeli ambassador to the United States of America is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the State of Israel to the United States of America. It is generally regarded as the most prestigious position in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the close diplomatic and military relationship between the two countries.

Quick Facts Ambassador of Israel to the United States, Nominator ...

The ambassador and the embassy staff at large work at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Four ambassadors have been American citizens: Arens was naturalized; Oren, Dermer, and Leiter were born in the United States.

Name (in Hebrew)^[a]	Photo	Tenure
Name (in Hebrew)^[a]	Photo	Start	End	Length (year range)
Eliahu Eilat (אליהו אילת)		1948	1950	1–2
Abba Eban (אבא אבן)		1950	1959	8–9
Avraham Harman (אברהם הרמן)		1959	1968	8–9
Yitzhak Rabin (יצחק רבין)		1968	1973	4–5
Simcha Dinitz (שמחה דיניץ)		1973	1979	5–6
Ephraim Evron (אפרים עברון)		1979	1982	2–3
Moshe Arens (משה ארנס)		1982	1983	0–1
Meir Rosenne (מאיר רוזן)		1983	1987	3–4
Moshe Arad (משה ארד)		1987	1990	2–3
Zalman Shoval (זלמן שובל)		1990	1993	2–3
Itamar Rabinovich (איתמר רבינוביץ)		1993	1996	2–3
Eliahu Ben-Elissar (אליהו בן-אלישר)		1996	1998	1–2
Zalman Shoval (זלמן שובל)		1998	1999	0–1
David Ivry (דוד עברי)		1999	2002	2–3
Daniel Ayalon (דני אילון)		4 October 2002^[1]	4 October 2006^[1]	3–4
Sallai Meridor (סלי מרידור)		4 October 2006^[1]	2009	2–3
Michael Oren (מייקל אורן)		2009	2013	3–4
Ron Dermer (רון דרמר)		28 July 2013^[2]	2021	7–8
Gilad Erdan (גלעד ארדן)		2021	2021	0
Michael Herzog (מיכאל הרצוג)		November 15, 2021	January 24, 2025	3–4
Yechiel Leiter (יחיאל לייטר)		January 27, 2025	present	0

List of ambassadors