TEL AVIV, Israel, May 31 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on Friday designated Danny Ayalon, a longtime diplomat, as Israel's next ambassador to the United States.
Ayalon, 47, has been serving as the Prime Minister's foreign policy adviser and his appointment follows Sharon's and Peres' failure to agree on a political personality.
The No. 1 slot in Israel's diplomatic service has been vacant for more than a month since retired Maj. Gen. David Ivri, a former air force commander, ended his tour of duty and returned to Israel.
Ayalon has had prominent Foreign Ministry positions while both of Israel major political parties have been in power. He served as Deputy Foreign Policy adviser the Likud's Binyamin Netanyahu was prime minister, of the Likud Party, and then when Labor's Ehud Barak was prime minister. He was promoted to his current position when Sharon, who is of the Likud, took over.
A statement from the prime minister's bureau issued Friday noted Ayalon has been a member of the senior U.S.-Israel strategic dialogue team.
It was not immediately clear when Ayalon will leave for Washington, but that will probably not take long as the government has been criticized for leaving the slot open. Ayalon could not be immediately reached for comment.
