Dore Gold

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Dore Gold was an Israeli author and diplomat. He was also one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longest-serving and most trusted foreign-policy advisers, playing a crucial role in shaping Israel’s diplomatic strategy.

Born in 1953 in Connecticut, Gold was raised in a Conservative Jewish home. He immigrated to Israel in 1980, which he had first visited in 1976. Gold received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in political science and Middle Eastern studies in 1984 and his M.A. in 1976 in Political Science. He also received the Certificate of the Middle East Institute from Columbia University in 1978. His doctoral dissertation on Saudi Arabia laid the foundation for his 2003 New York Times bestseller, Hatred’s Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism, which argued that Saudi Arabia’s promotion of Wahhabi Islam played a central role in fostering global terrorism. Despite this critical stance, Gold was instrumental in facilitating dialogue between Israel and Saudi officials and played a notable role in advancing the Abraham Accords.

From 1987 through 1996, Gold served as Director of the U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy Project at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies. In 1991, Gold was an advisor to the Israeli delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference and subsequent Arab-Israeli talks in Washington. He was key in establishing a relationship between the Likud Party and Jordan, brokering the first meeting between Netanyahu and King Hussein in the early 1990s.

From 1996 to 1997, Gold served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor, dealing extensively with contacts in the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, and other parts of the Arab world. He was directly involved in the negotiations leading up to the Hebron Agreement and the “Note of the Record,” which served as Netanyahu’s underlying principle in his negotiations with the Palestinians. He then served as Israel’s ambassador to the UN from 1997 to 1999.

In 2000, Gold became president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, which he helped transform into a leading Israeli think tank.

From 2001-2003, he served as a foreign-policy adviser to then prime minister Ariel Sharon.

In 2015, Netanyahu appointed Gold as director-general of the Foreign Ministry, a position he held until 2016. During his tenure, Gold played a key role in strengthening diplomatic ties with Africa, Asia, and the Gulf States, helping to lay the groundwork for future normalization agreements.

Gold later served as President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs until 2022.

Gold has published numerous books on the Middle East, including a book about the Gulf War for the Israeli Defense Ministry. A regular speaker at international conferences and foreign policy committees, Gold is widely respected for his articulate defense of Israel in global forums.

Gold and his wife, Ofra, are the parents of one son and one daughter. He passed away in March 2025 at 71, leaving a legacy of diplomatic achievement, scholarly excellence, and unwavering commitment to Israel.

Sources: Israel’s Mission to the UN.
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
European Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro-Arab Cooperation.
Herb Keinon, “Dore Gold, influential diplomat and Netanyahu confidant, dies at 71,” Jerusalem Post, (March 3, 2025).