Dore Gold Tapped for Israel's Foreign Ministry

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed long-time foreign policy confident Dore Gold as director general of the Foreign Ministry.

At a time when much of the international community is at odds with Israel and cozying up to Iran, Netanyahu did not appoint a foreign minister in his new government, but for now holds that position himself.

Netanyahu did appoint Deputy Foreign Mininster Tzipi Hotovely, who will work closely with Gold.

The American-born Gold has extensive diplomatic experience and served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.

Gold said he knows there are significant challenges facing Israel and its "obligation to defend the interests of the state."

In an interview earlier this year, Gold told CBN News about one of those challenges – conveying the threat Iran poses not only to Israel, but also to the United States.

"Originally many in the U.S. think of Iran as 'Well, you know, that's a problem for Saudi Arabia or Israel, but it's not our problem.' That's not true," Gold said.

"The moment Iranian Revolutionary Guards went to Mexico to recruit an operative for mass casualty attack, speaking of someone who is a member of the drug cartels, you saw that Iran's support for regional destabilization for infiltrating the United States is now part of their policy," he explained. "And they did that without having nuclear weapons."

According to The Jerusalem Post, by appointing Gold, Netanyahu has put "a close ally in a key position in the ministry."