Shalom Cohen (diplomat)

{{short description|Israeli diplomat|bot=PearBOT 5}}

File:Reuven Rivlin hosting the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel at a festive occasion marking the 40th anniversary of Sadat's visit, November 2017 (1002) (cropped).jpg

Shalom Cohen ({{Langx|he|שלום כהן}}; born 1955) is an Israeli diplomat who served as ambassador to Egypt, a post he held from 2005 to 2010, and is now the ambassador to the South Pacific, in New Zealand.{{cite news |title=New Israeli ambassador arrives in Cairo |url=http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050524/2005052418.html |publisher=Arabic News.com |date=24 May 2005 |accessdate=13 July 2009}} Before that, he was chairman for the Israeli mission in Tunis from 1996 to 2000, and worked at the Arab Maghreb department at the Israeli foreign ministry from 2000 to 2003.

From 2014 to 2015, Cohen was Ambassador to Kenya.{{cite web |title=Kenya |url=https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutTheMinistry/Israeli%20ambassadors/Pages/Kenya.aspx |website=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |accessdate=29 May 2020}}

Assassination plot

In July 2009, Egyptian security forces uncovered a plot by three "Al-Qaeda-linked" terrorists to assassinate the ambassador at his home and bomb the Israeli embassy building in Cairo.{{cite journal |last=Khoury |first=Jack |date=9 August 2009|title=Terror cell plotted to kill Israeli Ambassador to Egypt |journal=Haaretz |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1106075.html |accessdate=2009-08-15}} The three conspirators confessed during interrogation and provided details of their plans. The three claimed they had plans to carry out a "series of attacks" against police stations and government offices, as well as holy Christian and Islamic sites.{{cite news |first=Tzvi |last=Ben Gedalyahu |title=Terrorists Plotted to Kill Israeli Envoy to Egypt |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/132796 |publisher=Israel National News |date=2009-08-09 |accessdate=15 August 2009}} The credibility of these confession have been doubted as some suspect they were extracted under torture.{{cite news |title=Israeli ambassador in Egypt's security bolstered |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418565570&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |date=2009-08-08 |accessdate=15 August 2009}}

References

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