Knesset Member Danny Danon and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a question at a press conference at the site of Nova music festival massacre (Photo: ALL ISRAEL NEWS)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Knesset Member Danny Danon, a member of the Likud party, to serve as Israel’s next ambassador to the United Nations.
This is a position that Danon previously held from 2015 to 2020, during which he served very effectively.
I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Danny over the years, both before his service at the UN and more recently over the last eight months since the October 7 invasion by Hamas.
I’ve reported on Danny as he has invited members of the diplomatic corps from foreign countries to visit Israel’s southern communities along the Gaza border.
He took them to tour the devastated sites and the horror that Hamas had wrought on October 7.
I’ve traveled to those same communities and to communities throughout Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to “Hostage Square” with Danny Danon and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson touring the destruction by Hamas terrorists at Kfar Aza with Knesset Member Danny Danon, Nov. 5, 2023 (Photo: ALL ISRAEL NEWS)
Most recently, I accompanied and reported on Danny when he hosted former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – and recent American presidential candidate – Nikki Haley on a visit to three southern Israeli communities along the Gaza border.
Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley with Knesset Member Danny Danon at the site of the Hamas massacre at the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im, May 27, 2024 (Photo: Office of Knesset Member Danny Danon)
One of the things I can say about Danny from seeing him up close and personal, from interviewing him and watching him interact with world leaders, diplomatic leaders and the Israelis: He is a man with a very strong record of defending Israel with courage and clarity.
I’ve actually seen him while under rocket fire.
We were under rocket fire together in Sderot on October 15 , when he and the Sderot Deputy Mayor Elad Kalimi held a press conference I was covering.
The red alert sirens went off and we all had to rush into a bomb shelter as Qassam rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome right over our heads.
It was a pretty terrifying moment but Danny handled it with calm and composure under fire.
He was cool under fire and really helped the group of foreign ambassadors serving in Israel and had gone down to see what was happening on the Gaza border firsthand.
He helped them understand not just factually what Israel is facing, but as it turns out, also what it was like to experience the emotional challenge of living under rocket fire.
It was obviously not planned, but it was a very powerful moment and something I was glad to cover for ALL ISRAEL NEWS and also on THE ROSENBERG REPORT.
Danny is not without his detractors.
But he is a very experienced member of the Knesset.
He’s a very experienced Israeli diplomat.
At a time when Israel is under intense diplomatic pressure – and live fire from multiple directions – I strongly believe that Danny will acquit himself well.
He’s going to be the type of ambassador that Israel really needs – with lots of connections, lots of experience and a willingness to speak the truth even when world leaders don’t want to hear it.
The next question is, what will happen with current Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan?
There are rumors that he will be appointed as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., serving in Washington, where he will replace the current Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog, the brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
We’ll see what exactly happens in the coming hours and days.
