Alon Ushpiz

Alon Ushpiz
אלון אושפיז‎
Ushpiz in 2015
Director General, Foreign Ministry of Israel
In office 30 June 2020 – 22 January 2023
Preceded by	Yuval Rotem
Succeeded by	Ronen Levy
Israeli Ambassador to India
In office 2011–2014
Preceded by	Mark Sofer
Succeeded by	Daniel Carmon
Personal details
Born	(1966-02-07) February 7, 1966 (age 58) Israel
Alma mater	Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Alon Ushpiz (Hebrew: אלון אושפיז) is an Israeli diplomat who served as the Director General of the Foreign Ministry of Israel, from 2020 to 2023. He previously served as the ambassador of Israel to India and non resident ambassador to Sri Lanka, from 2011 to 2014.

Early life

Born in 1966, Ushpiz studied at Hebrew Reali School in Haifa. He served in the Israel Defense Forces and was discharged in 1987 at the rank of lieutenant.^[1]

Diplomatic career

Ambassador-designate Ushpiz presenting his credential to President of India Pratibha Patil (12 August 2011)

In 1992, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in international relations and Japanese studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and joined the Foreign Ministry. After the completion of the cadet course, he was assigned to the Embassy of Israel in Tokyo, where he served as an intern and later as political secretary. During his time in Tokyo, he studied social sciences and communication at the University of Tokyo.^[1]

In 1999, he was appointed as the political advisor to Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami. In 2003, he was assigned to the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., where he served as a minister for United States Congressional affairs. In 2007, he was appointed head of the coordination division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In July 2011 he was appointed Israel's ambassador to India and non-resident ambassador to Sri Lanka. On 12 August 2011, he presented his credentials to the President of India Pratibha Patil. After serving in this position till 2014, he was appointed as head of the political and strategic division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August of the same year.^[1][2]

In June 2020, the government of Israel approved Ushpiz's appointment as Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He held this position till his resignation in January 2023 and was succeeded by Ronen Levy^[3][4]

Personal life

Ushpiz and his wife Inbar have two children. He is fluent in Hebrew, English, German, Arabic and Japanese.^[1][5]

References

1. "Alon Ushpiz". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
2. "Israel's new Ambassador to India presents his credentials to the President". Embassy of Israel in New Delhi. 2011-08-12. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
3. "Diplomat Alon Ushpiz appointed new director-general of Foreign Ministry". The Times of Israel. 2020-06-18. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
4. Berman, Lazar (2023-06-15). "Foreign Ministry director general resigns, key intelligence official to step in". The Times of Israel. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
5. Sethi, Nidhi (2014-05-08). "Ambassador of Israel to India Alon Ushpiz and wife Inbar celebrated the 66th Independence Day of Israel in Delhi". Times of India. Retrieved February 19, 2023.