Israel's Foreign Ministry is set to appoint its first-ever ambassador of Bedouin origin after an internal committee approved his mission in Eritrea, Israeli media reported Sunday.
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Ishmael Khaldi, has made history before, serving as the Jewish state's first Bedouin diplomat.
The 49-year-old is widely seen as a trailblazer. From living in a tent and working as a shepherd when he was a boy, he became the first member of Israel's tiny Bedouin community to serve in the Israeli diplomatic corps and is among a small number of Arab Israelis to rise to the senior levels of the Foreign Ministry.
He served in Israel's Consulate in San Francisco, was an adviser to then-Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and defended Israel against the Palestinian-led boycott movement while posted in London. He also has done temporary assignments in Africa and Miami.
The diplomat, however, was involved in an unpleasant incident recently. On June 15, Khaldi was thrown to the ground and reportedly choked by security guards at the Jerusalem central bus station.
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According to a complaint he filed with Israel Police, four security guards tackled him, pinned him to the ground and held him down for some five minutes.
Following the incident, Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that the event was being investigated.
According to various reports, Khaldi had previously voiced support for an International Criminal Court investigation against Israel, claiming the "Israeli hatred toward Arabs is greater than the anti-Semitism against Jews." He later apologized for the remark.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
