Overview
- Dermer submitted his resignation on Nov. 11 after initially pledging to serve two years, saying he twice extended that term to work on Iran and to pursue a Gaza ceasefire and hostage releases.
- He led Israel’s ceasefire and hostage-negotiation team during the Gaza war and served as a key channel to Washington and Arab partners.
- Israeli media and multiple reports indicate he will remain an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and act as a special envoy, including on Abraham Accords expansion and Gaza-related diplomacy.
- Some U.S.-facing responsibilities are reported to shift to Israel’s ambassador in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, as Dermer transitions out of the cabinet role.
- A former ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2021, Dermer has been a close Netanyahu confidant and faced recent public criticism from opposition figures and some hostage families.