In the summer of 2023 Israel Nitzan completed his five year tenure as Deputy Consul General & Acting Consul General of Israel in New York. Israel has spent the last 22 years working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel. He has gained expertise in diplomacy, foreign relations, foreign policy, strategic planning, and relationship building.
At the Consulate, Israel coordinated the political work, developed and maintained relations with national, state, and local elected officials as well as community leaders within the 5 States in which the Consulate represents the State of Israel.
New York was Israel’s fourth foreign posting by the Ministry. He previously served at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, as Spokesperson from 2002 to 2005, returning in 2009 as the Deputy Chief of Mission until an attack during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution forced the Embassy to evacuate. He remained in Cairo as Israel’s last official representative until December of that year.
From 2012 until 2015, he served as the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, where, among his many duties, he spoke before the U.N. Security Council and oversaw Israeli political engagement policies within the U.N. system. He then became the Director of the Foreign Ministry’s U.N. Political Affairs Department in 2015, serving there until 2018 when he was posted to the Consulate. Israel served in the Foreign Ministry in other capacities, such as in the Arms Control Department, the Southeast Asia Department, and in the Center for Policy Research focusing on the Islamic world.
Born in Netanya in 1975, Israel completed his B.A. in Middle East History and International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem following his military service. He is fluent in Hebrew, English and Arabic, and enjoys spending time with his wife and four children.