Tzuriel Rafael

Tzuriel Rafael (born in 1952 in the USA) is an Israeli diplomat. He was recalled from the post of the ambassador to El Salvador and non-resident ambassador to Belize, following an incident in early 2007. It was his first ambassadorial posting, following his work for the Israeli foreign service [ [http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Government/Government+Secretary/Press/govmes160706.htm At the Weekly Cabinet Meeting 17.7.06] Israeli government site; accessed 2007-03-12] .

Biography

Rafael was born in the United States in 1952, moving to Israel in 1971. [ [http://sansalvador.mfa.gov.il/mfm/web/main/document.asp?SubjectID=1020&MissionID=28&LanguageID=509&StatusID=0&DocumentID=-1 Biography from the embassy website (in Spanish)] Israeli government site; accessed 2007-03-14] He studied at the University of Tel Aviv and in 1976 he received his B.A. in political science. Afterwards he served in the Israel Defence Forces.

Career

In November 1981, Rafael started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. Two years later, in 1983, he was part of the Israeli delegation to the 38th session of the General Assembly at the United Nations; afterwards, he was posted to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. In July 1990, Rafael was named to serve as Consul for Public Affairs for Israel's Consulate General to the Southwestern United States, based in Los Angeles, California. He also served as Deputy Consul General in the mid 1990s at Israel's Consulate General in New York. From 1998 to 2002 Rafael served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy to Spain in Madrid. He returned to Jerusalem in 2002, working as the director of the Israeli Information Center, a department of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His main responsibility included the preparation, editing and distribution of informational policy papers published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2007 Incident

On 12 March 2007 it was announced that Rafael would be recalled after being found outside the embassy in San Salvador, drunk, hands tied, and wearing only bondage gear. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6441461.stm Israel recalls 'naked ambassador'] BBC website: Monday, 12 March 2007, 11:37 GMT] [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/12/israel.envoy.ap/index.html Israel recalls El Salvador envoy after drunken episode] CNN website: POSTED: 11:02 a.m. EDT, 12 March 2007]

Police were able to determine his identity after removing a rubber ball gag from his mouth.

References