Dore Gold | |
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דורי גולד | |
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| 11thPermanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations | |
| In office 1997–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Gad Yaacobi |
| Succeeded by | Yehuda Lancry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-07-25)25 July 1953 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | 3 March 2025(2025-03-03) (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA,MA, PhD) |
Isidore "Dore"Gold (Hebrew:איזידור "דורי" גולד; 25 July 1953 – 3 March 2025) was an American-born Israelipolitical scientist and diplomat.
After makingaliyah in 1980, Gold worked at the research institutesMoshe Dayan Center for Near East Studies and theJaffee Centre for Strategic Studies, before serving as Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Advisor from 1996 to 1997. He then was appointedPermanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, and served in the post until 1999.
Gold was the president of think tankJerusalem Center for Public Affairs from 2000 to 2022, including an appointment as Director-General of theIsraeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs from May 2015 to October 2016.
Dore Gold was born on 25 July 1953 inHartford, Connecticut, United States, and was raised in aConservative Jewish home. His primary education was spent at theOrthodox Yeshiva of Hartford.[1][2] In the 1970s, Gold attendedNorthfield Mount Hermon School (Class of 1971) and then enrolled inColumbia University. There Gold earnedBA andMA degrees inPolitical Science, and then a PhD in Political Science andMiddle Eastern Studies.[1][3]
Gold studied literary Arabic and specialized ininternational law, and his doctoral dissertation was aboutSaudi Arabia. This research later formed the foundation for his 2003New York Times bestseller,Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism. In the book, Gold argued that Saudi Arabia was actively funding terrorism by supporting the enemies of the U.S. and attacking its allies.[4][5]
Gold madealiyah to Israel in 1980.[1]
Gold's career began in 1985 when he served as senior research associate atTel Aviv University'sMoshe Dayan Center for Near East Studies.[6] Later, he was appointed Director of the U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy Project at theJaffee Centre for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University and held this position from 1985 to 1996.[7]
In 1991, Gold was an advisor to the Israeli delegation at theMadrid Peace Conference.[8]
Gold was a longtime confidant to Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.[9][10][1] From June 1996 to June 1997 he served as Foreign Policy Adviser to Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.[1]
According toBarry Rubin and Judith Colp Rubin, Gold and Netanyahu advisorYitzhak Molcho were the first envoys of the newly electedLikud government to meet withYasser Arafat in theGaza Strip on 27 June 1996.[11]Dennis Ross relates to the "Abu-Mazen–Dore Gold" talks that ensued afterwards as a result of which the Palestinians closed down offices inEast Jerusalem that Israel had argued were a violation of theOslo Accords.[12]
Also in 1996, Gold secured a commitment from Secretary of StateWarren Christopher that theYitzhak Rabin "deposit"[clarification needed] on the future of theGolan Heights did not bind the State of Israel. This effort also included obtaining a new U.S. commitment from theClinton administration to theSeptember 1975 Gerald Ford letter, in which it was stated that the U.S. would give great weight to Israel remaining on the Golan Heights.[13] This renewed commitment came in a formal letter of assurances to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 19 September 1996.[14] Gold was also directly involved in negotiations leading up to the 1997Hebron Agreement.[1] From 1997 to 1999, Gold served asIsrael's ambassador to the United Nations.[15]
Following the appointment ofRon Dermer asIsraeli Ambassador to the United States, Gold would once again serve as a foreign policy to Netanyahu in the Prime Minister's Office beginning on 1 January 2014. His purview covered Israel's relations with the U.S. and United Nations, as well as Iran policy. Officially an outside consultant, he retained his position as head of JCPA.[10][16]
In May 2015, Netanyahu appointed Gold the Director-General of theIsraeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, subject to the cabinet's approval. During his tenure, Gold was Israel's de facto foreign minister, as Netanyahu held the foreign minister portfolio inthe government while concurrently serving as prime minister. Gold oversaw several foreign policy breakthroughs, including repairing diplomatic relations with several African countries. On 13 October 2016, Gold resigned from the Director-General's position after 16 months for personal reasons. Gold resigned as head of JCPA to become director-general, and returned to the position after his resignation.[9][17]
From 2000 to 2022, Gold served as president of the non-profit institute,Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.[1] From 2001 to 2003, Gold served as an adviser to Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon, most notably at theAqaba summit with PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[15] During this period, Gold regularly appeared on US network television programs on behalf of the Sharon government. In July 2003, Gold testified as an expert before theU.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on Saudi Arabia's alleged role in providing ideological and financial support for international terrorism.[15]
Beginning in 2006, Gold led an international effort by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs to advocate that UN member states take legal measures against PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on grounds that he violated the anti-incitement clauses of the 1948Genocide Convention, with his repeated statements about "wiping Israel off the map." Gold led a delegation to a conference held jointly with theConference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations at the New York County Bar Association on 14 December 2006. Speakers included former Canadian Justice MinisterIrwin Cotler, Prof.Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School, and the U.S. ambassador to the UNJohn Bolton.[15]
Gold led an Israeli delegation to a second conference at theBritish House of Commons on 25 January 2007 which was chaired by LordDavid Trimble and supported by members of theBritish Labour Party and theConservative Party. Then-former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the Israeli team. As a result of this effort, over 60 members of the House of Commons called for the indictment of Ahmadinejad.[15] A third event organized by Gold and theInternational Association of Genocide Scholars was held on 23 September 2008 in Washington D.C. Speaking at the third conference was AmbassadorRichard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, as well asSalih Mahmoud Osman, a member of theSudanese Parliament and advocate for human rights inDarfur.[18][15]
Gold was married to Ofra and had two children. He died on 3 March 2025, at the age of 71.[19][1]
He was considered a trailblazer forolim to serve at the highest levels of the Israeli government.[1]
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