Embassy of the United States in Israel
Encyclopedia
The Embassy of the United States of America in Tel Aviv is the permanent U.S. mission to Israel
and has been located at 71 Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv
since the building's completion in 1966.
was the first country to "accord defacto recognition
" to the newly founded state of Israel
on 14 May, 1948, immediately following Israel's proclamation of independence. President Truman subsequently announced that there would be an exchange of missions:
On 22 June, Clark Clifford
, President Truman's aide, called James G. McDonald
telling him that the President wanted McDonald to be the United States' first representative to Israel. During his ambassadorship, McDonald helped strengthen relations between the two governments. For example, in 1950, the United States and Israel entered into an "Aviation Agreement" that allowed Trans World Airlines
(TWA) to operate fully out of Israel and El Al
to send regular flights to the United States. Ambassador McDonald hoped the signing of the first formal agreement between the two governments would be the first in a series of similar agreements that would gradually bind the two countries and peoples closer together in creative co-operative work.
Walworth Barbour
served as Ambassador of the United States to Israel from 1961-1973, which is when the Embassy re-located to its present location of 71 Hayarkon Street. He assumed his post already very familiar with the Middle East
and South Eastern Europe
but with "no particular interest in Israel one way or another." Nevertheless, Barbour was Ambassador to Israel for 12 years, and when asked why he stayed so long he answered, "I like it." The American International School
in Even Yehuda, Israel is named after him.
maintains and promotes diplomatic and people-to-people relations between the United States
and Israel
. The Embassy has a large staff of officers and specialists who are responsible for all aspects of economic, political, commercial, military, media, educational, cultural, and humanitarian relations. Tel Aviv operates one of the State Department's busiest Non-Immigrant Visa sections, which produces the higest volume of non-immigrant visas in the Middle East. The American Citizens Services (ACS) office is the State Department's third largest ACS office overseas, and the volume of U.S. passports issued makes Tel Aviv the second largest passport operation in the world.
There is also an American Consular Agent in Haifa
.
page, a YouTube
page, and a Flickr
page (see External Links). It is also responsible for all communication with media organizations in Israel. The office invites Israelis to participate in professional visits to the United States, conducts exchange programs, showcases American culture through visits of visual and performing artists, and invites academics to speak with students, experts and general audiences. The Embassy reaches thousands of young Israeli Jews and Arabs through English language programs, and provides grants to many NGOs involved in co-existence activities.
(MEPI) is a U.S. State Department program that supports political and economic reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. Run out of the Public Diplomacy office of the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, MEPI Israel's projects strive to build a more pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous society in Israel. Specifically, MEPI programming in Israel empowers community leadership, provides educational opportunities, and opens an outlet for civic discourse. To this end, MEPI partners with local organizations to bolster agents of change.
. The Ambassador of the United States serves as Honorary Chair of the 8-member USIEF Board. The primary activity of the Fulbright commission for Israel is to strengthen mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Israel through academic and professional exchanges. In 2011, a total of 73 Fulbright Israel Fellowships were awarded, 40 to Israeli citizens and 33 to American citizens.
The United States-Israel Educational Foundation also operates an EducationUSA
Counseling Center which distributes information on post-secondary educational opportunities in the United States. The Counseling Center assists interested candidates in the selection of suitable programs and offers advice in the preparation of application files. The Center provides both group information sessions and individual counseling.
(USCS) is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. Located within the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, the Commercial Service assists hundreds of Americans each year to learn about opportunities in Israel’s economy and to expand their sales in the Israeli market. The Commercial Service also works with individual American States to attract Israeli investment. The goal of the Commercial Service is to broaden and deepen the U.S. exporter base, remove export obstacles for small and medium-sized companies in the United States, advance U.S. business interests abroad, and support job creation in Israel and the United States.
(USAID) is the principal U.S. assistance agency that extends help to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. Although USAID is separate from the State Department, both report to the United States Secretary of State
. Since 1994, USAID has worked in the West Bank
and Gaza
providing more than $3.4 billion in U.S. economic assistance to Palestinians in the areas of water and sanitation, infrastructure, education, health, economic growth, and democracy. USAID also provides assistance for basic human needs in both the West Bank and Gaza, including emergency food, health care, and access to safe water.
(ICE) has a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office located within the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv. As the largest investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), HSI enhances U.S. national security by conducting international law enforcement operations. The HSI Office in Tel Aviv partners with their Israeli counterparts to combat criminal organizations and prevent terrorist activities. They are charged with enforcing a wide array of laws, including those related to financial crime, trade fraud, and narcotics and cash smuggling. Aside from Tel Aviv, HSI works with 69 offices in 47 countries around the world.
, and the Commander of U.S. European Command in Israel. To accomplish this mission U.S. Defense Attaché Office (DAO) personnel advise the U.S. Ambassador to Israel on military matters, implement a variety of bi-lateral military engagement programs, and thoroughly report political-military developments in a timely manner. The USDAO serves as the primary point of contact for all joint U.S.-Israeli military activities and communications on defense matters between the U.S. government and the Government of Israel.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act, passed by Congress in 1995, requires the United States to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by December 31, 1999 and that Jerusalem be recognized as the capital of Israel. The Embassy remains in Tel Aviv because the Act also allows for the President to "delay the implementation of the law indefinitely if the move presents national security concerns." Currently, Presidents Clinton
, Bush
, and Obama
have regularly invoked the clause, delaying the move of the Embassy to Jerusalem.
The United States maintains a Consulate General in Jerusalem which has offices in 18 Agron Road and on 14 David Flusser Street. The Consulate General in Jerusalem, established in 1844, represents the United States in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip as an independent U.S. Mission whose members are not accredited to a foreign government.
Alhough Tel Aviv is widely considered one of the safest cities in Israel, there have been some terrorist attacks over the years. Notably during the Second Intifada in 2003, Mike's Place, which is located next door to the U.S. Embassy, was attacked by a suicide bomber. The blast killed 3 civilians and wounded 50.
In 2005, another attack at a club on the Tel Aviv Promenade
killed 5 and wounded another 50.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and has been located at 71 Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
since the building's completion in 1966.
History
The United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was the first country to "accord defacto recognition
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
" to the newly founded state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
on 14 May, 1948, immediately following Israel's proclamation of independence. President Truman subsequently announced that there would be an exchange of missions:
Agreement has been reached between the Government of the United States and the Provisional
Government of Israel on the establishment of a mission of the United States in Israel and a
mission of the Provisional Government of Israel in the United States. Agreement has also been
reached on the exchange of special representatives.
On 22 June, Clark Clifford
Clark Clifford
Clark McAdams Clifford was an American lawyer who served United States Presidents Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter, serving as United States Secretary of Defense for Johnson....
, President Truman's aide, called James G. McDonald
James Grover McDonald
James Grover McDonald was a United States diplomat. He served as the first U.S. Ambassador to Israel.He studied at Harvard University.-Offices:*Chairman of the Board, Foreign Policy Association...
telling him that the President wanted McDonald to be the United States' first representative to Israel. During his ambassadorship, McDonald helped strengthen relations between the two governments. For example, in 1950, the United States and Israel entered into an "Aviation Agreement" that allowed Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
(TWA) to operate fully out of Israel and El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
to send regular flights to the United States. Ambassador McDonald hoped the signing of the first formal agreement between the two governments would be the first in a series of similar agreements that would gradually bind the two countries and peoples closer together in creative co-operative work.
Walworth Barbour
Walworth Barbour
Walworth Barbour was United States Ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.The American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel is named after him .-Positions held in the United States Diplomatic Service:...
served as Ambassador of the United States to Israel from 1961-1973, which is when the Embassy re-located to its present location of 71 Hayarkon Street. He assumed his post already very familiar with the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and South Eastern Europe
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
but with "no particular interest in Israel one way or another." Nevertheless, Barbour was Ambassador to Israel for 12 years, and when asked why he stayed so long he answered, "I like it." The American International School
Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel
The Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel is an independent, American-curriculum, English-language school...
in Even Yehuda, Israel is named after him.
Today
The U.S. Embassy in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
maintains and promotes diplomatic and people-to-people relations between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The Embassy has a large staff of officers and specialists who are responsible for all aspects of economic, political, commercial, military, media, educational, cultural, and humanitarian relations. Tel Aviv operates one of the State Department's busiest Non-Immigrant Visa sections, which produces the higest volume of non-immigrant visas in the Middle East. The American Citizens Services (ACS) office is the State Department's third largest ACS office overseas, and the volume of U.S. passports issued makes Tel Aviv the second largest passport operation in the world.
There is also an American Consular Agent in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Press and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv
The Office of Press and Cultural Affairs is responsible for Embassy communication through its public website and popular social media platforms. The office maintains a FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
page, and a Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
page (see External Links). It is also responsible for all communication with media organizations in Israel. The office invites Israelis to participate in professional visits to the United States, conducts exchange programs, showcases American culture through visits of visual and performing artists, and invites academics to speak with students, experts and general audiences. The Embassy reaches thousands of young Israeli Jews and Arabs through English language programs, and provides grants to many NGOs involved in co-existence activities.
The American Center in Jerusalem
A public-access American Center in Jerusalem was established in 1968 as part of the Embassy’s effort to reach out to Israeli academics and officials. The staff of the American Center design and oversee educational seminars, exchanges, performances, and grant programs in a wide variety of areas, including cultural diplomacy, sports diplomacy, legal issues, diversity, coexistence, women’s issues, human rights, religious tolerance, and English instruction. These activities take place at the Center itself or at partner institutions. The American Center also operates an Information Resource Center, which is open to the public and offers 6,000 reference and circulating books, 1,000 DVDs, 80 periodicals and journals, and access to news and scholarly databases.Middle East Partnership Initiative
The Middle East Partnership InitiativeMiddle East Partnership Initiative
The Middle East Partnership Initiative is a U.S. State Department program that supports reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa...
(MEPI) is a U.S. State Department program that supports political and economic reform efforts in the Middle East and North Africa. Run out of the Public Diplomacy office of the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, MEPI Israel's projects strive to build a more pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous society in Israel. Specifically, MEPI programming in Israel empowers community leadership, provides educational opportunities, and opens an outlet for civic discourse. To this end, MEPI partners with local organizations to bolster agents of change.
The Fulbright Commission for Israel
The United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF) was established by the governments of the United States and Israel in 1956 and given responsibility for the administration of Israel’s participation in the Fulbright programFulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
. The Ambassador of the United States serves as Honorary Chair of the 8-member USIEF Board. The primary activity of the Fulbright commission for Israel is to strengthen mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Israel through academic and professional exchanges. In 2011, a total of 73 Fulbright Israel Fellowships were awarded, 40 to Israeli citizens and 33 to American citizens.
The United States-Israel Educational Foundation also operates an EducationUSA
EducationUSA
EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State...
Counseling Center which distributes information on post-secondary educational opportunities in the United States. The Counseling Center assists interested candidates in the selection of suitable programs and offers advice in the preparation of application files. The Center provides both group information sessions and individual counseling.
United States Commercial Service in Israel
The United States Commercial ServiceUnited States Commercial Service
The United States Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, which helps U.S. companies succeed in markets around the world. Led by Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General Suresh Kumar and located across the...
(USCS) is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. Located within the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, the Commercial Service assists hundreds of Americans each year to learn about opportunities in Israel’s economy and to expand their sales in the Israeli market. The Commercial Service also works with individual American States to attract Israeli investment. The goal of the Commercial Service is to broaden and deepen the U.S. exporter base, remove export obstacles for small and medium-sized companies in the United States, advance U.S. business interests abroad, and support job creation in Israel and the United States.
U.S. Agency for International Development in Israel
The United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(USAID) is the principal U.S. assistance agency that extends help to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. Although USAID is separate from the State Department, both report to the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
. Since 1994, USAID has worked in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
providing more than $3.4 billion in U.S. economic assistance to Palestinians in the areas of water and sanitation, infrastructure, education, health, economic growth, and democracy. USAID also provides assistance for basic human needs in both the West Bank and Gaza, including emergency food, health care, and access to safe water.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Israel
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
(ICE) has a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office located within the U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv. As the largest investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
(DHS), HSI enhances U.S. national security by conducting international law enforcement operations. The HSI Office in Tel Aviv partners with their Israeli counterparts to combat criminal organizations and prevent terrorist activities. They are charged with enforcing a wide array of laws, including those related to financial crime, trade fraud, and narcotics and cash smuggling. Aside from Tel Aviv, HSI works with 69 offices in 47 countries around the world.
Federal Burau of Investigations in Israel
For nearly seven decades, the Federal Bureau of Investigations has stationed special agents and other personnel overseas to help protect Americans back home by building relationships with principal law enforcement, intelligence, and security services around the globe that help ensure a prompt and continuous exchange of information. The FBI Legal Attaché in Israel works with the Israeli law enforcement and security agencies to coordinate investigations of interest to both countries.U.S. Defense Attaché Office in Israel
U.S. Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché represents the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, and the Commander of U.S. European Command in Israel. To accomplish this mission U.S. Defense Attaché Office (DAO) personnel advise the U.S. Ambassador to Israel on military matters, implement a variety of bi-lateral military engagement programs, and thoroughly report political-military developments in a timely manner. The USDAO serves as the primary point of contact for all joint U.S.-Israeli military activities and communications on defense matters between the U.S. government and the Government of Israel.
Jerusalem Embassy Act
William Clinton
Bill Clinton is the 42nd President of the United States. William Clinton may also refer to:*William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon , English nobleman from prominent Norman family dating to William the Conqueror; Lord High Admiral as of 1333*William Henry Clinton , British general from...
, Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
have regularly invoked the clause, delaying the move of the Embassy to Jerusalem.
The United States maintains a Consulate General in Jerusalem which has offices in 18 Agron Road and on 14 David Flusser Street. The Consulate General in Jerusalem, established in 1844, represents the United States in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip as an independent U.S. Mission whose members are not accredited to a foreign government.
Security Concerns
In 2005, another attack at a club on the Tel Aviv Promenade
Tel Aviv Promenade
Tel Aviv promenade is a promenade that runs along the Mediterranean seashore in Tel Aviv, Israel.- History :...
killed 5 and wounded another 50.
See Also
- US Ambassadors to IsraelUnited States Ambassador to IsraelThe United States Ambassador to Israel is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state of Israel.Until 1948 the area that is now the state of Israel had been under British administration as part of the League of Nations/United Nations British Mandate for...
- Jerusalem Embassy ActJerusalem Embassy ActThe Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 is a public law of the United States passed by the 104th Congress on October 23, 1995. It was passed for the purposes of initiating and funding the relocation of the Embassy of the United States in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, no later than May 31, 1999, and...
- Israel – United States relations
- U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem
External links
- Deptartment of State: Israel page
- Official U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv website
- Official U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv Facebook page
- Official Consular Section, Tel Aviv Facebook page
- Official U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv Twitter
- Official U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv Youtube Channel
- Official U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv Flickr Stream