Mark Regev
Mark Regev | |
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מארק רגב | |
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Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom | |
In office April 2016 – 2020 | |
President | Reuven Rivlin |
Prime Minister | Benjamin Netanyahu |
Preceded by | Daniel Taub |
Succeeded by | Tzipi Hotovely |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark Freiberg 1960 (age 63–64) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Citizenship | Israel |
Spouse | Vered Regev |
Children | 3 |
Education | Mount Scopus Memorial College |
Alma mater | Melbourne University Hebrew University of Jerusalem Boston University |
Occupation | Diplomat and civil servant |
Mark Regev (Hebrew: מארק רגב; born 1960) is an Australian-Israeli diplomat, government advisor and civil servant.[1] Between June 2020 and April 2021, he served as the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs and International Communications. From 2016 to 2020 Regev was Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom. Previously, he was the International Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office (2007 to 2016).
Early life
[edit]Regev was born Mark Freiberg in Melbourne, where he was raised, in Victoria, Australia, in 1960 to Martin and Freda Freiberg, two German Jews.[2][3] He was educated at Mount Scopus Memorial College, a Jewish day school in Melbourne.[4] He received his bachelor's degree in political science and history at the University of Melbourne, and master's degrees in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and in management from Boston University.[5][better source needed]
In his youth, Freiberg was a prominent member of the Socialist Zionist youth movement Ichud Habonim and was active in the Melbourne University Jewish Students Society.[6] In 1982, he emigrated to Israel and worked at kibbutz Tel Katzir.[6] In Israel, he Hebraicized his surname from Freiberg to Regev.[6] He served as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[7]
Career
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Mark_Regev_at_an_International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Day_Event.jpg/220px-Mark_Regev_at_an_International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Day_Event.jpg)
Regev began his career as a lecturer on international relations and strategy at the Israel Defense Forces Staff College.[5] He joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, serving as deputy chief of mission at the Consulate General in Hong Kong, and spokesman at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing.[8][better source needed]
Regev has received both prominence and criticism in international media when he has presented the Israeli position in interviews to English language TV[9] and radio channels[10] during the 2006 Lebanon War, the 2008–09 Gaza War, the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense, the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict and Operation Brother's Keeper, and the 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls.
As ambassador, Regev was involved in interfaith activities. He hosted an iftar dinner at his residence for members of Britain’s Muslim leadership.[7] [better source needed]
He is also the chair of the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations at Reichman University.[11][non-primary source needed]
Regev is married to Vered Regev and they have three children.[12][6][better source needed]
Regev appeared on British radio station LBC on the 13th of January, 2024 to call genocide allegations against Israel "preposterous."[13] In the same interview, he spoke about South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice as "very sad, because they basically decided to become Hamas' lawyer."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Israel Senior Advisor Talks Israel Hamas War, Diplomacy - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
- ^ "Aussie Regev becomes Israel's man in the UK - The Australian Jewish News". 7 April 2016.
- ^ Bourke, Latika (2018-07-21). "The Aussie boy who's at home spruiking for Israel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ The (Aussie) voice of Israel - In Depth, The Age
- ^ a b "mfa.gov".
- ^ a b c d Mark Regev News, UPI
- ^ a b "Israel's man in London: Ambassador Mark Regev will go anywhere - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Mark Regev, Spokesman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, 15 November 2004
- ^ Mark Regev on Israel, conflict and antisemitism, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-09-23
- ^ "Political Thinking with Nick Robinson - The Mark Regev One - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Mark Regev appointed head of the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy | Reichman University (IDC Herzliya)". www.runi.ac.il. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ Ambassador Regev Arrives in the UK, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, 5 April 2016
- ^ a b Netanyahu's adviser calls genocide allegations 'preposterous' | LBC, retrieved 2024-01-17
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "Mark Regev". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 15 November 2004.
- Jason Koutsoukis (26 January 2008). "The (Aussie) voice of Israel". The Age.
- Transcript of a radio interview with Regev WNYC 6 April 2002
- Regev answers questions about Israeli policy USA Today 3 May 2002
- Transcript of a radio interview with Regev ABC 22 December 2005
- Mark Regev: The one-man Israeli defence force who is set to become ambassador to Britain Independent 14 August 2015
- The Aussie boy who's at home spruiking for Israel Sydney Morning Herald 22 July 2018
- 1960 births
- Living people
- Ambassadors of Israel to the United Kingdom
- Australian emigrants to Israel
- Australian Jews
- Boston University School of Management alumni
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Social Sciences alumni
- Israeli civil servants
- Israeli Jews
- Israeli people of Australian-Jewish descent
- People from Melbourne
- University of Melbourne alumni
- People educated at Mount Scopus Memorial College