Benny Dagan (; born January 2, 1957) is the Israeli Ambassador to Denmark. He also served as Ambassador of Israel to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

(2008-2012) prior to which he was the deputy head of the Center for Policy Research at the

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; ) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other co ...

, and head of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Affairs Bureau of the Center (2003–2008).

Biography

Dagan was born in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in 1957. He graduated from the

Gymnasia Rehavia Rehavia Gymnasium or the Jerusalem Rehavia Gymnasium, by its Hebrew name Gymnasia Rehavia (), is a high school in the Rehavia neighborhood in West Jerusalem. History The high school's initial name was the Hebrew Gymnasium in Jerusalem. Gymnasia ...

high school in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in 1975, joined the

Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

and was released from service in 1979 with the rank of lieutenant. In 1984 Dagan received a

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

degree in Middle East history and political science from the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

Career

Dagan joined

's foreign service in 1985. He held various positions in research, political affairs and media and public relations. His postings abroad included political officer at the Embassy of Israel in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

(1986–1988); consul for the Mid-West region at the Consulate-General of Israel in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(1988–1990); and, minister-counselor for Middle East affairs at the

Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. The Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the State of Israel to the United States. It is located at 3514 International Drive, Washington, D.C., in the North Cleveland Park neighborhood. History The Ambassador is ...

(1998–2003). At the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem, Dagan held various positions in the Policy Research Center. Prior to his assignment in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

he was director of the Syrian and Lebanese Affairs Department. He also served in the Western European Division and in the Press Department.

Personal life

Mr Dagan is currently married and has triplets: two boys and a girl.

References

External links

1957 births Living people Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Ambassadors of Israel to Sweden Israeli Jews Ambassadors of Israel to Denmark {{Israel-diplomat-stub