Mark Regev
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מארק רגב
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| Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom | |
| In office April 2016 – 2020 | |
| President | Reuven Rivlin |
| Prime Minister | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Preceded by | Daniel Taub |
| Succeeded by | Tzipi Hotovely |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mark Freiberg 1960 (age 63–64) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Citizenship | Israel |
| Spouse | Vered Regev |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Mount Scopus Memorial College |
| Alma mater | Melbourne University Hebrew University of Jerusalem Boston University |
| Occupation | Diplomat and civil servant |
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Mark Regev (Hebrew: מארק רגב; born 1960) is an Australian-Israeli diplomat, government advisor and civil servant.[1] Between June 2020 and April 2021, he served as the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs and International Communications. From 2016 to 2020 Regev was Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom. Previously, he was the International Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office (2007 to 2016).
Regev was born Mark FreiberginMelbourne, where he was raised, in Victoria, Australia, in 1960 to Martin and Freda Freiberg, two German Jews.[2][3] He was educated at Mount Scopus Memorial College, a Jewish day school in Melbourne.[4] He received his bachelor's degree in political science and history at the University of Melbourne, and master's degrees in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and in management from Boston University.[5][better source needed]
In his youth, Freiberg was a prominent member of the Socialist Zionist youth movement Ichud Habonim and was active in the Melbourne University Jewish Students Society.[6] In 1982, he emigrated to Israel and worked at kibbutz Tel Katzir.[6] In Israel, he Hebraicized his surname from Freiberg to Regev.[6] He served as a combat soldier in the Nahal Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[7]
Regev began his career as a lecturer on international relations and strategy at the Israel Defense Forces Staff College.[5] He joined Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, serving as deputy chief of mission at the Consulate General in Hong Kong, and spokesman at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing.[8][better source needed]
Regev has received both prominence and criticism in international media when he has presented the Israeli position in interviews to English language TV[9] and radio channels[10] during the 2006 Lebanon War, the 2008–09 Gaza War, the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense, the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict and Operation Brother's Keeper, and the 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls.
As ambassador, Regev was involved in interfaith activities. He hosted an iftar dinner at his residence for members of Britain’s Muslim leadership.[7] [better source needed]
He is also the chair of the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations at Reichman University.[11][non-primary source needed]
Regev is married to Vered Regev and they have three children.[12][6][better source needed]
Regev appeared on British radio station LBC on the 13th of January, 2024 to call genocide allegations against Israel "preposterous."[13] In the same interview, he spoke about South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice as "very sad, because they basically decided to become Hamas' lawyer."[13]
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