Jerusalem Municipality spokesman to take charge of Israeli press, Nir Hefetz upgraded to communications adviser and head of public diplomacy at PMO.
By HERB KEINONGidi Shmerling(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Monday that Jerusalem Municipality spokesman Gidi Shmerling would be brought in as an additional spokesman.This is the second additional spokesman brought into the Prime Minister’s Office in the last two weeks, following the appointment of Ofir Gendelman as its first spokesman for the Arabic media.Shmerling will take on the duties of dealing with the Israeli press, and Nir Hefetz – who currently serves in that capacity – will serve as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s communications adviser and head of public diplomacy inside the Prime Minister’s Office.In addition to Hefetz, Shmerling and Gendelman, Mark Regev serves as Netanyahu’s spokesman for the foreign press, and Yarden Vatikai is head of the National Information Directorate, charged with coordinating the government’s message with the various government ministry spokespeople and the IDF.Shmerling has served as the Jerusalem municipal spokesman for the last seven years, and has worked in the past as a journalist for Ma’ariv.
