Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intended to appoint Michael Oren, an American born historian, as Israel's ambassador to the United States, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Monday on its website.
Netanyahu informed the historian of his intention during a telephone conversation overnight Sunday, said the report, adding that the nomination is to be approved during next week's Israeli cabinet meeting.
Oren has said that should he be chosen for the ambassadorship, he would be "delighted and honored" to serve, according to the report.
It is expected that Oren, who holds both U.S. and Israeli passports, would have to renounce his U.S. citizenship to accept the post. He indicated his willingness to do so, saying that his U. S. background would be "an asset" because "it helps me read America."
Oren saw combat as a paratrooper in the First Lebanon War and continued to serve in the reserves, acting as an Israel Defense Forces spokesman during the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead.
He is a senior fellow at Jerusalem's Shalem Center policy center, and a visiting professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service for the 2008-2009 academic year as part of the faculty associated with the Program for Jewish Civilization.
Oren is the author of Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East and of Power, Faith, and Fantasy: The United States in the Middle East, 1776 to 2006.
On Sunday, the Princeton-educated historian said following an appearance at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington that Israel will not allow a nuclear Iran and that the Jewish state is committed to peace.
(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2009)
