By HERB KEINONFrom left to right: Ron Dermer and Danny Dannon(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/REUTERS)
Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon could be excused for waking up each morning in Washington and New York respectively and pinching themselves for their good fortune.Not necessarily for meriting the opportunity of representing Israel in arguably the two most important cities in the world, but rather for doing it at a time when the administration in Washington is probably the friendliest Israel has ever known.If, as the aphorism goes, you can only appreciate the sweet after you have tasted the bitter, then both men should be very appreciative, as they both had bitter experiences with the previous administration: Dermer in his constant fights with the Obama administration over the Iran deal, and Danon as he watched the US enable an anti-settlement resolution in the UN Security Council.But that was then.Now Dermer has easy access to the White House – something he lacked under the previous administration – and Danon has the pleasure of working with US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who has made it her mission to fight loudly and proudly against the anti-Israel bias in the world body.That does not mean Dermer and Danon don’t have their work cut out for them. Dermer needs to deal as well with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and segments of American Jewry that are increasingly critical of Israel, and Danon has to deal with all other ambassadors at the UN not named Haley.But Dermer and Danon are on this list because of open access they have to the US policy-makers shaping and implementing America’s policies on Israel and the Middle East. Access is influence, and both envoys enjoy easy, open and important access.
