Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Israel Hayom columnist Dr. Dror Eydar Israel's new ambassador to Italy.
Eydar has written a column for Israel Hayom since the paper was founded in 2007 and recently became the editor of its opinions section. He is expected to begin his role as ambassador next summer.
Prior to the appointment, Eydar spoke with Netanyahu and expressed his desire to represent Israel internationally. As foreign minister, Netanyahu has the right to make a certain number of political-diplomatic appointments.
Eydar said Tuesday night that he was excited about his new role.
"One of the role models I grew up with from the time I was a child is Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Herzog, a sharp, intellectual who courageously represented Israel internationally in various roles. I received his book 'A People that Dwells Alone' as a gift when I finished junior high school in Kfar Saba. Since then, I've read the book front and back and used it frequently. I thank the prime minister for giving me the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
"As a researcher of history and literature, the privilege of representing the state of Israel in Rome, with all the diplomatic, national, and religious baggage between the two peoples going back thousands of years, takes on a special significance. As I've done as a journalist and in my other positions in Israel and throughout the world, I will try to devote all my energy and knowledge to representing Israel faithfully and with courage," Eydar said.
Eydar said he remembered with longing his late parents, Esther and Shmuel Cohen, who both passed away in the past five years. He said they were "new immigrants when the state was first founded, and joined the pioneers who built the country. They will be with me on this mission of mine," he said.
Eydar, 51, a researcher of history, literature, society, and culture, has published two books and more than 1,000 articles on a variety of subjects, and lectures in Israel and internationally.
Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth congratulated Eydar on the appointment.
"It's a great honor for Israel Hayom that its opinion editor and columnist is leaving in service of the country," he said. "Dror will move on to a different platform to do what he does best: defend Israel's good name and righteous path."
Bismuth added: "On a personal level, Dror's appointment takes me back to 2004 when I was Yediot Ahronoth's correspondent in Paris, when I received word of my appointment as Israel's ambassador in Mauritania. I know how much satisfaction and pride comes with such a position and I wish Dror great success in his important task."
Italy has experienced frequent political upheaval in recent years, among other reasons because of the Arab spring and consequent waves of African migrants flooding the country.
On the other hand, Israeli-Italian relations are expected to improve markedly on a strategic level in the coming years, due to agreements over the construction of an underwater pipeline from Israel to Cyprus, and from there to Greece and Italy, to deliver Israeli natural gas to Europe.
