Ofir Gendelman
Encyclopedia
Ofir Gendelman (born July 19, 1971) is an Israeli diplomat
and current spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israel Prime Minister's Office
, a position he has held since April 2010, prior to which he served in the same role at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
. Gendelman has been a regular fixture on various Arab media outlets since 2001.
in 1989, majoring in Arabic and Islam
and joined the Israeli Defense Forces, upon graduation and remaining in the service until 1994. In 1997 Gendelman received a dual Bachelor's degree in international relations and in Middle Eastern studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
and in 2000 he received a Master's degree in Strategic Studies from Tel Aviv University
. He later received another Master's degree in Business Administration from Bar Ilan University in 2010.
Gendelman was appointed as Consul and Second Secretary at the Israeli Embassy to Canada In 2003 and served there until 2007. He returned to Israel, assuming the role of deputy director of the Arab press and public diplomacy division of the foreign ministry. In 2008 he became the division's director and in this capacity was responsible to crafting and managing the foreign ministry's public diplomacy campaigns to the Arab world and served also as the ministry's spokesman to the Arab media.
In 2009, Gendelman took a leave of absence from the foreign ministry and moved to the private sector where he became the founding CEO of the Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCC). In this role he worked to bring together Israeli and Palestinian businesspeople and companies and helped in creating joint ventures. In April 2010 he joined the Prime Minister's Office as its first ever spokesperson to the Arab world.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and current spokesperson to the Arab media in the Israel Prime Minister's Office
Office of the Prime Minister (Israel)
Office of the Prime Minister is the governmental ministration office with the responsibility of coordinating the actions of the work of all governmental ministry offices, on various matters, and serving and assisting the Israeli Prime Minister in his daily work...
, a position he has held since April 2010, prior to which he served in the same role at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries....
. Gendelman has been a regular fixture on various Arab media outlets since 2001.
Biography
Gendelman was born in Israel in 1971. He graduated from the Ha-Reali Ha-ivri high school in HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in 1989, majoring in Arabic and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and joined the Israeli Defense Forces, upon graduation and remaining in the service until 1994. In 1997 Gendelman received a dual Bachelor's degree in international relations and in Middle Eastern studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
and in 2000 he received a Master's degree in Strategic Studies from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. He later received another Master's degree in Business Administration from Bar Ilan University in 2010.
Career
In 1998, Gendelman joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an analyst on Palestinian affairs at the ministry's Center for Political Analysis, which is the foreign ministry's political intelligence bureau. In 2001 he joined the diplomatic training program at the ministry and graduated as a political officer with the rank of Second Secretary. Later that year he was appointed as the first ever foreign ministry spokesman to the Arab media, a role he fulfilled during the peak of the Second Intifada.Gendelman was appointed as Consul and Second Secretary at the Israeli Embassy to Canada In 2003 and served there until 2007. He returned to Israel, assuming the role of deputy director of the Arab press and public diplomacy division of the foreign ministry. In 2008 he became the division's director and in this capacity was responsible to crafting and managing the foreign ministry's public diplomacy campaigns to the Arab world and served also as the ministry's spokesman to the Arab media.
In 2009, Gendelman took a leave of absence from the foreign ministry and moved to the private sector where he became the founding CEO of the Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCC). In this role he worked to bring together Israeli and Palestinian businesspeople and companies and helped in creating joint ventures. In April 2010 he joined the Prime Minister's Office as its first ever spokesperson to the Arab world.