Likud minister May Golan will not be appointed to the position of Consul General of Israel in New York in place of Asaf Zamir, who resigned from the position in protest against the judicial reform, senior government officials said on Saturday evening.
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This is following the critical responses from the U.S. government and the American Jewish community on the intention to appoint Golan.
According to the officials, it is unlikely that Golan will receive the position, and even the Prime Minister's Office understands that this appointment is not feasible.
On Thursday, the U.S. State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel commented during a White House press conference on the proposal made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appoint Golan, and condemned Golan’s past remarks, in which she said she’s a "proud racist," and refuses to eat with African asylum seekers because she fears she’ll contract AIDS. "We would condemn such kind of rhetoric and believe that such kind of language is also particularly damaging when it’s amplified in leadership positions," Patel said.
Hours before Petal’s comment on her possible appointment, Golan took to Twitter and wrote, “I am very flattetrd [sic] to be considered for the post of Israel's consul general in NY. I want to assure everyone that if I will be appointed, I will represent 100% the mainstream policies of PM Netanyahu and the Likud party to which I belong."
In New York and its Jewish community, Jewish leaders and diplomats raised concern that Golan’s hawkish opinions may deteriorate relations between Israel and the U.S. even further.
Some in the city recalled the announcement of Dani Dayan as Israel’s General Consul to New York back in 2016, who initially also wasn’t liked among progressive Jewish leaders, but turned things around during his term and became one of New York’s most lauded Consul General.
Union for Reform Judaism President Richard Jacobs, however, said he doesn’t believe this could also be the case for Golan. “We need a considerate, diplomatic, ethically sound Consul General. May Golan is neither of those. Her Zionism is opposed to those of many in our community. She would do more harm than good to Israel.”
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השבעת May Golan with Benjamin Netanyahu during the swearing-in of his government
(Photo: Knesset Spokesperson)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, said that should Golan’s appointment go through, the U.S.’s Jewish community will see the act as a “sign of utmost disrespect.”
Meanwhile, 14 former Israeli diplomats in the Foreign Ministry published a statement in which they condemn the possible appointment.