Michael Herzog

Michael Herzog's diplomatic work grew out of a long military and negotiating career. An infantry soldier in the 1973 war, he subsequently served in intelligence and led the Israel Defense Forces' Strategic Planning Division. He became military secretary and later chief of staff to defense ministers from different parties. From 1993 onward, he participated in negotiations with the Palestinians, Jordanians, and Syrians, including the Wye, Camp David, Taba, and Annapolis talks. ¹

Appointed ambassador by the Bennett–Lapid government in 2021, Herzog remained after Netanyahu returned to office. He helped prepare Biden's 2022 visit to Israel and worked on developing the Abraham Accords. The judicial overhaul dispute and the war following the October 7 attack transformed his assignment. In a retrospective interview, he described daily contacts with the White House and State Department, including regular meetings with senior national security officials. ²

Herzog said that he initiated discussions over Israel's planned Rafah offensive to turn a confrontation into negotiations about humanitarian safeguards and military plans. After leaving office in January 2025, he also criticized aspects of Netanyahu's wartime decisions and urged continued investment in bipartisan American support. He returned to the Washington Institute as its Tisch Distinguished Fellow, building on earlier research appointments there and his studies of Israeli security and peace negotiations. ^{2, 1}