Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
Encyclopedia
Cabinet of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in the government complex in Givat Ram
Givat Ram
Givat Ram is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, Israel. Many of Israel's most important national institutions are located in Givat Ram, among them the Knesset, the Israel Museum, the National Library of Israel and the Israeli Supreme Court.-Etymology:...
, Jerusalem.The current Foreign Affairs Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister...
is Avigdor Lieberman.
History
In the early months of 1948, when the government of the future State of Israel was being formed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was housed in a building in the abandoned TemplerTempler
Templer is an English surname, and may refer to:*Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer 1898-1979.*James Templer, an early British military pioneer of balloons...
village of Sarona, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
, formerly head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, was placed in charge of foreign relations.
Diplomatic relations
Israel maintains diplomatic relations with 160 countries. It operates 70 embassies, 18 consulates-general and 5 special missions: a mission to the United Nations (New York), a mission to the United Nations institutions in Geneva), a mission to the United Nations institutions in Paris, a mission to the United Nations institutions in Vienna and an ambassdor to the European Union (Brussels).In October 2000, Morocco, Tunisia and the Sultanate of Oman closed the Israeli offices in their countries and suspended relations with Israel. Niger, which renewed relations with Israel in November 1996, severed them in April 2002. Venezuela and Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009, in the wake of the IDF operation against Hamas in Gaza.
Foreign ministry building
The new building of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiryat Ben-GurionKiryat hamemshala
Kiryat HaMemshala , also known as Kiryat Ben-Gurion, is a complex of government buildings in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel.-History:...
, the government complex near the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
, was designed by Jerusalem architects Kolker, Kolker and Epstein in association with Diamond, Donald, Schmidt & Co. of Toronto. The building consists of three wings: One houses the offices of the Foreign Minister and director-general, another houses the diplomatic corps and the library, and the third is used for receptions. The outside walls of the reception hall incorporate onyx plates that diffuse an amber light. In June 2001, the design won the prize for excellence from the Royal Institute of Architects of Canada. The building is described as a "sophisticated essay in the play between solid and void, mass and volume, and light and shadow."