Lapid mulls recall for Israel’s UK envoy Tzipi Hotovely

Israel’s new foreign minister Yair Lapid is considering replacing Tzipi Hotovely, the country’s ambassador to the UK, after less than a year in the role, according to local media reports.

Haaretz reported on Friday that Lapid was considering withdrawing her and replacing her with Yael German, a former minister from his own Yesh Atid Party.

Hotovely, a former Likud minister, was brought to the role in August last year by the prime minister of the time, Benjamin Netanyahu.

She was one of three political appointments made by Netanyahu, who also placed allies Gilad Erdan as ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, and Dror Eydar in Italy.

But the newspaper said no final decision had been made on Hotovely’s future and that she had no intention of resigning until her three-year contract ended.

One source said: “A political appointment is valid for the ambassador’s entire term, and it’s almost impossible to recall instances in the past in which ambassadors who were political appointees were recalled to Israel before their term ended.”