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Zohar Palti, Former Israeli National Security Official, Named Viterbi International Fellow

Sep 7, 2023
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Open image icon Zohar Palti

Washington, D.C. - Zohar Palti, a veteran Israeli security specialist, has been named The Washington Institute’s Viterbi International Fellow, the research organization announced today.

Palti’s fellowship was named in recognition of a generous gift from Andrew Viterbi of San Diego, CA, a longtime supporter of the Institute.

“Few people have Zohar Palti’s range of experience and depth of expertise on the issues that matter most to the security of Israel and the health of the U.S.-Israel strategic relationship,” said Institute Segal Executive Director Dr. Robert Satloff, the Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy. "We are thrilled to have him contribute to the work of our Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations and are grateful to Mr. Viterbi, a selfless supporter of the Institute for many years, for making this fellowship possible."

Palti retired from government service in 2022 after more than three decades in some of the most sensitive positions in Israel’s national security establishment. These included serving as director of the Policy and Political-Military Bureau at Israel's Ministry of Defense, responsible for Israel’s defense ties with strategic partners around the world; head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate; and deputy head of the Research Division in the IDF Intelligence Corps. In addition to these roles, he held several research positions, including senior research fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and, in 2004, a visiting military fellow with The Washington Institute. Palti holds a BA and an Executive MA in Middle Eastern studies from Tel Aviv University, with distinction. He is a graduate of the U.S. National Defense University's advanced management program.

In a rare honor for a foreign official, upon his retirement Palti was awarded the U.S.  Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, in recognition of "his major contribution to bolstering U.S.-Israel strategic defense relations.”

Media Contact: Anna Brown, 202-230-9550, email.

About The Washington Institute: The Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.

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