President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations of prominent Israel supporters Pete Hegseth, Rep. Elise Stefanik, and Mike Huckabee respectively as Defense Secretary, US Ambassador to the UN, and US Ambassador to Israel, brought out cheers among my colleagues at this newspaper. They are familiar faces that we’ve seen at pro-Israel fundraising dinners, on missions to Israel, and in the news.
Across the ocean, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a like-minded counterpart to Huckabee, nominating Dr. Yechiel Leiter as the Israeli Ambassador to the United States.
“Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I am convinced that Yechiel will represent the State of Israel in the best way possible. I wish him success in his position.”
Locally, he is known as the founder of the One Israel Fund, a nonprofit created in 1994 to provide for the security and social needs of Jewish communities in Yehudah and Shomron. At the time, its beneficiaries included settlements in Gaza, and the fund continues to support former residents of Gush Katif who rebuilt their homes within Israel.
“He is not appointed; he is nominated by the Prime Minister. He has to go through a confirmation process,” said Scott Feltman, the Executive Vice President of One Israel Fund. “He is nominated to succeed Michael Herzog.”
The incumbent ambassador is the older brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, serving in this role since 2021. Alongside his leadership role at One Israel Fund, the American-born activist has a long resume in government and advocacy positions. Born in Scranton, he made aliyah at age 18, initially settling in Kiryat Arba. After joining the Yesha Council, which represents these communities, he established its “overseas desk” to build support in the United States.
“Yechiel is a masterful statesman. He is probably one of the most forward thinkers that I’ve ever known,” Feltman said. “When he founded One Israel Fund, everyone in the world thought that Oslo was a fait accompli, that they would be gone. He understood the importance of these communities from a strategic, historical, and biblical standpoint. He raised funds that were not being raised by major philanthropic organizations. He filled those gaps, security, medical, educational.”
With the success of One Israel Fund, he became an ally of Netanyahu as they opposed land-for-peace compromises imposed on Israel by other nations. During his tenure as Finance Minister in 2004, Leiter served as Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff. A year later, the Likud leader left the government in protest of the Gaza disengagement. Leiter then received his doctorate in the philosophy of law from Haifa University, served on the board of the Israel Ports Authority, and lectured on philosophy at Ono Academic College. In the meantime, One Israel Fund continued to make a difference in providing security and medical equipment, playgrounds, cultural programs, and educational tours of Yehudah and Shomron communities.
“We played a role in their development, raising over $100 million. Today we’re stronger than ever, our goal is a medical center in the Binyamin region, for the entirety of the population,” Feltman said.
The nomination of Leiter was marred by the Biden administration’s announcement this week that it is sanctioning Amana, which funds the building of farms and homes in the Israeli-controlled territories. “The settlers and farms that Amana supports play a key role in developing settlements in the West Bank, from which in turn settlers commit violence,” the Treasury Department wrote in a statement. “Amana strategically uses farming outposts, which it supports through financing, loans, and building infrastructure, to expand settlements and seize land.”
Under this policy, assets owned by Amana, its named officers and subsidiaries are frozen, banks cannot provide services to them, and citizens cannot donate funds to them, with civil and criminal penalties enforcing this action. Amana was previously sanctioned by the British and Canadian governments for building on Palestinian land, in contradiction to the policies of these countries.
“Amana has established dozens of illegal settler outposts and directly engaged in dispossession of private land owned by Palestinians in its support of settlers,” the State Department said in a statement.
Under Israeli law, the only legal Jewish homes in Yehudah and Shomron are those recognized by the government; but the State Department, most governments, and international organizations regard all Jewish communities in these territories as illegal. Feltman was confident that One Israel Fund is not violating federal laws in its work.
“Everything we do is humanitarian and charitable; we are not involved in building homes. We fill in the gaps with social services, cultural items, and preventive security for civilians.” At the same time, he recognizes the precedent being set by the Biden administration.
“We’re always nervous about the sanctions levied against entities in Israel; we take it very seriously. We created systems in place to make sure that equipment is going to the right hands in an appropriate manner. We’re an American organization and we follow American law. We operate in reality and we are careful whom we support.”
He added that most of the organization’s work is in established communities, with the goal of saving lives.
Concerning Trump’s nominees, Feltman described Huckabee’s appointment as comforting, based on his multiple visits to Israel and solid support for communities in Yehudah and Shomron. He also noted that Stefanik’s tough words against enemies of Israel are welcome.
“They have an accurate and honest knowledge of the region and the issues it is facing. They understand the role of security in that region. They are dear friends.”
On Thursday, December 19, One Israel Fund will hold its 30th anniversary gala hosted by actor Michael Rapaport, and conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg as an honoree. The dinner will also honor Leiter’s son Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, 39, who was killed in combat last November in Gaza.
At the time, Netanyahu called his father to express condolences. “Bibi, my son’s blood was not shed in vain. Finish this job,” he replied. “Don’t let any pressure in the world stop you. Because the only consolation of this loss is banishing evil.”
By Sergey Kadinsky
