Yechiel Leiter, American-Israeli former settler leader who lost a son in Gaza, to serve as next Israeli ambassador to US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Yechiel Leiter, an American-Israeli former settler leader whose son was killed fighting in Gaza, as the next Israeli ambassador to the United States.

The prime minister announced the appointment of Leiter, a former Netanyahu aide, in a Friday statement, saying Leiter is “a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics.” 

His appointment likely signals that Netanyahu expects the incoming Trump administration to take a friendlier approach to Israeli West Bank settlements than President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump unveiled a peace plan in the final year of his first term that would have left Israel in control of vast swaths of the West Bank, and Trump’s ambassador to Israel during his first term, David Friedman, was also a supporter of settlements. Friedman has remained close to Trump and could be in the running to resume his old role.

Leiter was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and moved to Israel in 1978, according to Hebrew media reports. Decades ago, he was among the leaders of the Israeli settlement in the West Bank flashpoint city of Hebron, and later served in the Yesha Council, an umbrella body for the settlements, or communities built on land mostly controlled by but not annexed by Israel.  He currently lives in the West Bank and has long been involved in the settlement enterprise and Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Leiter was appointed Netanyahu’s chief of staff in 2004, when Netanyahu was the finance minister. He also served in the education ministry and the Israel Ports Company, which manages the seaports of Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat.

Leiter has been affiliated with right-wing policy groups including the Shiloh Policy Forum and the Kohelet Policy Forum, a key player in the Netanyahu coalition’s controversial judicial overhaul. He has a doctorate degree in political philosophy from the University of Haifa. 

His son, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in combat in Gaza in November 2023. When Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress earlier this year, he brought Leiter in his delegation.

In 2020, in an open letter to American Christians, Leiter hailed Trump’s presidency and encouraged U.S. support for settlements. He called the first Trump administration “the best three years in US-Israel relations ever” and praised Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. 

Current Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, who was appointed in 2021 by Naftali Bennett, a Netanyahu rival, ends his term in January. Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, and Leiter’s term in Washington is expected to begin around the same time.