The Deputy Director of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emmanuel Nachshon, announced his retirement this week, becoming the first senior official in the ministry to retire for ideological reasons since the establishment of the current government. The dissonance made me come dangerously close to the 'red lines' I had set for myself," he said.
In the speech he gave upon his retirement, Nachshon added that "I found no other way out except to take a step back and end my career at the Foreign Ministry. I did not want to lie to myself and my principles, and I am not ready to be a bad civil servant." Veterans of the ministry said that this is a single case in the last decades in which a senior official of the foreign ministry has taken the unusual step of retirement.
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Deputy Director of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emmanuel Nachshon
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevich)
Nachshon, who was in fact the man entrusted with Israeli public diplomacy around the world, served 32 years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among other things, he served in the past as Israel's ambassador to Belgium, as a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as an envoy in the embassies of Turkey and Germany. When he spoke about the dilemmas that led to his retirement, he also mentioned the nationality law : "I feel and felt very bad about this law, which differentiates between blood and blood. It differentiates between us. We are Israeli brothers, and after October 7 it is clearer than ever.
"We are all Israeli brothers, and it doesn't matter at all if we are Jews, Muslims, Druze, whatever you want. We are all brothers. I was ashamed in front of my brothers in the Foreign Ministry that such a law exists, and I hope that in our lifetime we will see this law repealed and forgotten," he said.
Although the former deputy director did not detail all the ideological differences between him and Netanyahu's government - because he did not want to go into the political aspects that led to his retirement - it can be concluded that his words were aimed at the discourse that divides Israeli society, as well as the judicial reform legislation.
Regarding the war in Gaza and the hostages, he said that "there is nothing more sacred than IDF soldiers, and our hearts cry out every time a soldier is injured or killed. The task they fulfill for all of us is a sacred task. We all think about the hostages, they should be at the center of our thoughts. Only when the hostages return home will the State of Israel be able to be restored, and we will be able to build a better and more worthy country. If this condition is not met - I don't see how we can do it."
Regarding his work in the Public Diplomacy Division, which he is leaving, he said: "These days, certainly after October 7, the division is a central part of the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The events of October 7 - and what happened afterward - took place no less on social networks and in the media. This is a long-term war in Israel's name. Our enemies have invested years in this field, and we are unfortunately playing catch up, but it is time."
Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yaakov Blitshtein said that "to his credit, he has great integrity. He said exactly what he thought of us, and informed me that he intends to end his service. You are an honest man, you are a hard worker, honest and fair. The fact that you are angry about the current position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of information was not hidden from me. You explained to me that in the past it was different."
The head of the digital diplomacy division, David Saranga, who serves as Nachshon's deputy at the Foreign Ministry, called him "a fearless fighter for the truth, a man with a backbone, who backs up his employees even when pressure is put on him, a true friend."
Upon retirement, Nachshon will begin his role as the head of the fight against academic boycotts on behalf of the Association of Israeli Universities.