US deputy secretary reaffirms 'ironclad support' for Israel’s security

United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman reaffirmed the "United States’ ironclad support" for Israel’s security and commitment to continued cooperation during a meeting with Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Ronen Levy in Washington, DC on Wednesday.

Sherman and Levy discussed a range of global issues, including opportunities to advance regional integration through the Negev Forum, recent developments in Sudan, and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

"She emphasized the importance of Israel and the Palestinian Authority taking additional steps to stabilize the situation in the West Bank," said Spokesperson Matthew Miller. "The Deputy Secretary further stressed that the US will remain engaged with Israel, the Palestinians, and regional partners to promote calm in the months ahead, building upon the recent ceasefire in Israel and Gaza."

The Home Front Command relaxed restrictions on southern Israel last Saturday night two hours after a ceasefire between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel reportedly took effect. Prior to the ceasefire, over 1,100 rockets were fired since last Wednesday in what the IDF named Operation Shield and Arrow. 

Sherman first joined State in 1993 as assistant secretary for legislative affairs. In the past three decades, she served in different positions under three administrations, dealing with issues from North Korea to the Dayton Accords. For the Jewish community, she is mostly known for her role in negotiating the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

Who is new FM D-G Ronen Levy, Israel's secret envoy to the Arab world?

Ronen Levy (Maoz), who has been one of Israel’s secret faces to the Arab world and who helped prepare the groundwork for the Abraham Accords, was appointed in January as Foreign Ministry director-general.

Levy, 48, has been a leader in creating secret relations between Israel and countries with which there were no relations, the Foreign Ministry said.

A fluent Arabic speaker, who went by the pseudonym Maoz, his identity was so secret that even many of those who dealt with him did not know his real name until information about his appointment was publicized.

During the last years of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous tenure in office, which ended in 2021, Levy worked as an envoy for him and for former national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat.

Tovah Lazoroff, Omri Nahmias and Haley Cohen contributed to this report.