Exiting Israeli envoy Amir Maimon lauded for ‘integrity’
Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon steps down mid-January after four challenging years marked by Gaza war tensions and deteriorating Australia-Israel relations.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has been lauded for his “integrity and strength” as he prepares to leave the country after a challenging posting marked by bilateral tensions over the war in Gaza and surging anti-Semitism on the nation’s streets.
He will step down in mid-January after four years in the job, making way for career diplomat Hillel Newman, who previously served as Israel’s consul-general in Los Angeles and ambassador to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Mr Maimon, who is heading home to retire after a long career as a diplomat and army officer, said it wasn’t the posting he expected when he arrived in January 2022.
“I had hoped to spend my tenure highlighting all the remarkable things Israel has to offer the world: our hi-tech innovation, cutting-edge agriculture, our vibrant LGBTQ community, and the strength of our democratic values in the Middle East,” he told The Australian.
“But after October 7 (2023), the role changed overnight. Representing Israel and standing up for Israelis and for the Jewish people has never felt more important. It has been a profound responsibility and I’ve carried it with pride.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said Mr Maimon “represented Israel in its most harrowing times with integrity and strength”.
“He developed a great affection for our community and saw in us the spirit of Jewish peoplehood which led us to defend the people of Israel against slander and lies and take the hostages and fallen soldiers into our hearts as though they were our own family,” Mr Ryvchin said.
He said Mr Newman was “a fine man and an experienced and skilful diplomat … He will need to navigate a challenging diplomatic and political landscape to restore goodwill between the countries, but will be supported by a nation defined by a sense of fairness and decency.”
Relations between Australia and Israel sank to new lows during Mr Maimon’s tenure, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashing Anthony Albanese as “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews”.
That came as the government prepared to recognise a Palestinian state, which it did in September after taking a stand against the Jewish state in a series of UN resolutions.
At the same time, Australian Jews were subjected to anti-Semitism, including abuse, vandalism and arson attacks.
Bilateral ties were tested by the April 2024 death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankom, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike.
Australia demanded Israel’s support for an investigation into her death, which found Frankom and six of her colleagues were “not knowingly or deliberately” attacked.
At one point, Mr Maimon was hauled in for a dressing down by then-assistant foreign minister Tim Watts, who said Australia would not support Israeli attacks in Southern Lebanon that ultimately brought terrorist group Hezbollah to heel, but he sought to ease tensions by saying he didn’t blame the government for attacks on Jewish sites.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout