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Dore Gold—a former Foreign Ministry director-general, political advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's ambassador to the United Nations—passed away on Monday at the age of 71.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Gold received his primary education at Hartford Yeshiva and later attended the prestigious Mount Hermon private high school in northern Massachusetts. He pursued his academic studies at Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies in 1975.
He obtained a master’s degree in Political Science a year later and completed his Ph.D. in 1984. Gold studied classical Arabic, and his doctoral dissertation, which focused on Saudi Arabia, served as the basis for his book Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism. The book, which appeared on The New York Times bestseller list, argued that Saudi Arabia actively funds terrorist organizations and supports the enemies of the United States.
Gold immigrated to Israel in 1980 and served in the IDF. After his discharge in 1983, he embarked on an academic career, serving as a senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. Later, he served as head of the project on U.S. Foreign and Security Policy at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, under the direction of Maj. Gen. (res.) Aharon Yariv.
In 1991, Gold served as one of the advisors to the Israeli delegation at the Madrid Peace Conference and the subsequent Washington talks. During this period, he became close to Benjamin Netanyahu and served as his political advisor, a role he continued to fulfill when Netanyahu was elected prime minister.
Gold played a key role in establishing ties between the Likud Party leadership and Jordan’s Hashemite Kingdom as a counterbalance to the strategic connections established between the Labor Party-led government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by Yasser Arafat.
Gold accompanied Netanyahu in his meetings with Jordanian leaders between 1994 and 1995 in London, Amman and Aqaba. In his role as Netanyahu’s political advisor following his 1996 election victory, Gold conducted negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and other Arab actors. Among his notable contributions was his involvement in drafting the Hebron Agreement's annexes, which focused on mutual obligations between Israel and the Palestinians.
French journalist Charles Enderlin noted that Gold extracted a commitment from then-U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher ensuring that the “deposit” promised by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin regarding the future of the Golan Heights would not bind the State of Israel. This effort also secured a new American commitment from the Clinton administration to the 1975 letter from President Gerald Ford, which declared that the United States would give significant weight to Israel’s retention of the Golan Heights.
From 1997 to 1999, Gold served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. In 1998, he was part of the Israeli delegation to the Wye River Memorandum, which involved Israel, the Palestinian Authority and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.
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Between 2000 and 2023, Gold served as president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a think tank that focuses on policy studies and issues central to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
Between 2001 and 2003, he served as an advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and was particularly involved in the Aqaba Summit, which included then-U.S. President George W. Bush. During this period, Gold frequently appeared in American media as a spokesperson for Sharon’s government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized him: “My wife Sara and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Dore Gold—a prolific academic researcher, a brilliant Israeli diplomat and a close personal friend. For over three decades, Dore accompanied me as a dedicated public servant of unparalleled caliber. Dore, with his exceptional talents, served as a political advisor, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, and director-general of the Foreign Ministry. He possessed unique intellectual integrity, a remarkable ability to get things done and a deep love for the State of Israel.
“Added to this were his passionate Zionist vision and sharp analytical skills, which bore fruit for Israel in the international arena. One clear example, among many, is his contribution to achieving the Abraham Accords with Arab states. His insightful books clearly present the just path of the State of Israel. Dore will be missed by our country, and he will be personally missed by me and my wife. Sara and I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Ofra, and his family."