2026-04-28 05:17:PM <br/> Tags: #WorldJewry #Israel #Lobby ![[image-9.png|321|274x271]] *Seal of the Foreign Ministry* # Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization of Israel #### Overview - The Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization of Israel is an office in the Israeli Foreign Ministry founded in 2022. - The position was founded under Foreign Minister [[Yair Lapid]].[^1] - The office was formed for the purpose of promoting a positive Israeli image amid slipping global support. - The first envoy was Noa Tishby, an Israeli actress and pro-Israel Jewish activist. - In her position as Special Envoy, Tishby was required to register as an agent of the state of Israel under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA). - In the FARA registration filing, Tishby is defined as a "consultant" who serves in the "Department of [[Hasbara|Public Diplomacy]]" of the Foreign Ministry.[^2] - Upon her appointment, Tishby was congratulated by various Jewish/Israeli political figures and organizations including:[^1] - Israeli president [[Isaac Herzog]] - [[David Harris]] - CEO of the [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)]] - [[Ted Deutch]] - Congressman and current [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)]] CEO - The U.S. office of the [[Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism]] - [[William Daroff]] - [[Conference of Presidents]] CEO - [[Jonathan Greenblatt]] - CEO of the [[ADL]] - [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]] - [[World Jewish Congress]] - Nachman Shai -Israeli Minister of [[Ministry of Diaspora Affairs|Diaspora Affairs]] - On July 4, 2022, Tishby attended a meeting in Israel between Israeli Foreign Minister [[Yair Lapid]] and [[Deborah Lipstadt]], the American [[Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism]].[^6] - The U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is a quasi counterpart to the Israeli position covered on this page. - Soon after her appointment, Tishby spoke at the 2022 [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)|AJC]] Global Forum. - During her speech, Tishby remarked “In the days of Christianity, ‘the Jew’ was a Christ killer. Nazis said Jews were race polluters. What’s the worst a Jew can be today? Racist, colonialist, apartheid. Who can be blamed for all these horrible traits? The Jewish state. Israel the scapegoat. This is nothing but [[New-antisemitism]] – just old antisemitism in a new disguise.” - In 2023, Tishby was dismissed from her position by the Israeli government given her opposition to the government's initiatives to overhaul the judiciary.[^5] ![[image-279.png|576x324]] *Noa Tishby, Special Envoy from 2022-2023, appears on [[Fox News]] to promote the [[Gaza War]], October, 2023.* - In September 2023, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen appointed former Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh to replace Tishby as Special Envoy.[^4] - Following Hamas' attack on [[October 7th]], Special Envoy Cotler-Wunsh released a joint statement condemning the attack with her American counterpart [[Deborah Lipstadt]], the [[Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism]].[^7] - The statement, although mostly diplomatic and uninteresting, promotes Israeli government messaging in support of the [[Gaza War]] and in opposition to American pro-Palestine campus protests. - In July 2024, Special Envoy Michal Cotler-Wunsh endorsed the [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)]] definition of antisemitism stating, "The [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)|IHRA]] Working Definition of Antisemitism is the benchmark by which we can identify and combat all strains of what is an ever-mutating, shape-shifting hatred that kills."[^3] - Cotler-Wunsh resigned from her position as Special Envoy in September 2025 given her dissatisfaction with the position's lack of institutionalization.[^4] #### References [^1]: State of Israel, “Special Envoy Noa Tishby,” [https://www.gov.il/en/pages/special-envoy-noa-tishby](https://www.gov.il/en/pages/special-envoy-noa-tishby). [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Unit, “Noa Tishby FARA Registration,” April 28, 2022, [https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7110-Exhibit-AB-20220428-1.pdf](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7110-Exhibit-AB-20220428-1.pdf). [^3]: Joshua Marks, “Thirty-six States Adopt Jew-Hatred Guidelines Amid Global Resurgence,” Jewish News Syndicate, July 18, 2024, [https://www.jns.org/antisemitism/thirty-six-countries-back-antisemitism-guidelines](https://www.jns.org/antisemitism/thirty-six-countries-back-antisemitism-guidelines). [^4]: Michael Starr, “Cotler-Wunsh Resigns as Antisemitism Envoy Citing Lack of Gov't Strategy to Combat Hate,” _The Jerusalem Post_, September 29, 2025, [https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-868971](https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-868971). [^5]: Tovah Lazaroff, “Israel Fires Special Envoy Noa Tishby, Who Had Criticized Judicial Reform,” The Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2023, [https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-736180](https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-736180). [^6]: State of Israel, “PM Lapid Meets with US Special Envoy Lipstadt,” July 4, 2022, [https://www.gov.il/en/pages/pm-lapid-meets-with-us-special-envoy-lipstadt-7-jul-2022](https://www.gov.il/en/pages/pm-lapid-meets-with-us-special-envoy-lipstadt-7-jul-2022). [^7]: U.S. Department of State, “Joint statement by U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt and Israeli Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh,” October 17, 2023, [https://2021-2025.state.gov/joint-statement-by-seas-ambassador-deborah-lipstadt-and-israeli-special-envoy-for-combating-antisemitism-michal-cotler-wunsh/](https://2021-2025.state.gov/joint-statement-by-seas-ambassador-deborah-lipstadt-and-israeli-special-envoy-for-combating-antisemitism-michal-cotler-wunsh/).