Yael Lempert

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Yael Lempert
United States Ambassador to Jordan
Assumed office
September 3, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byHenry T. Wooster
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Acting
In office
August 31, 2021 – May 31, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJoey R. Hood
Succeeded byBarbara A. Leaf
U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to the United Kingdom
In office
January 20, 2021 – August 1, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byWoody Johnson
Succeeded byPhilip T. Reeker (acting)
Personal details
Born (1974-01-16) January 16, 1974 (age 50)
Spouse
Andrea Catalano di Melilli
​
​
(m. 2008)​
Alma materGeorgetown University (BS)
AwardsNational Security Council Outstanding Service Award (2017)
Presidential Rank Award (2019)[1]

Yael Lempert [2] (born January 16, 1974) is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Jordan since September 2023. Lempert is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having served in various roles including Senior Director for the Levant, Israel, and Egypt at the National Security Council, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in London. In 2023, she was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate to be the ambassador to Jordan.

Early life and education[edit]

Lempert grew up in Ithaca, New York.[3] She graduated from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.[4] She is the daughter of ophthalmologist Philip Lempert and Lesley Lempert who serves on the board of the New York Civil Liberties Union.[2]

Career[edit]

Lempert is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. She is fluent in Arabic.[3] She was Senior Director for the Levant, Israel, and Egypt at the National Security Council (NSC) from 2014 to 2017. She served as Special Assistant to the President from 2015 to 2017.

She was charged with "(heading) negotiations between the Netanyahu government and Obama administration over the military aid package, in addition to her work on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The $38-billion deal, over 10 years, was the biggest the United States ever signed with any country."[5]

Initially planning to return to the State Department after 20 years as a career diplomat, Lempert was asked to stay on for the transition and assembling of a new team in 2017 under Donald Trump. Trump officials thought that Lempert, with her "knowledge and experience", could help facilitate a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.[6]

From June 1, 2017, until December 2018, Lempert served as acting deputy assistant secretary for Egypt and North Africa.[4][7]

Lempert served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in London from January 2019 to 2021, and as Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. from January 2021 through July 2021.[1] In 2020, she wrote to Andrea Leadsom, the MP for the family of Harry Dunn, to refuse their request for a meeting, as it "would not be appropriate" to meet with the family due to a potential lawsuit.[8]

Lempert became the acting assistant secretary of the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs on August 31, 2021.[9]

U.S. ambassador to Jordan[edit]

On January 3, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Lempert to be the ambassador to Jordan.[10]After hearings and a favorable report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, her nomination was confirmed by the Senate on July 27, 2023.[11] She was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on August 9, 2023[3], and presented her credentials to King Abdullah II on September 3, 2023.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Lempert married Italian diplomat Andrea Catalano di Melilli in 2008 at the Italian Embassy in Cairo.[2] She speaks Arabic.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Yael Lempert". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Yael Lempert, Andrea Catalano". The New York Times. November 7, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c National, The (August 10, 2023). "New US ambassador to Jordan Yael Lempert sworn in". The National. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Yael Lempert Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Egypt and the Maghreb Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs". US Department of State. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Ravid, Barak; Tibon, Amir (March 24, 2017). "Why did Trump keep Obama's senior Israel adviser? Depends who you're asking". Haaretz. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Ravid, Barak; Tibon, Amir (March 24, 2017). "Why did Trump keep Obama's senior Israel adviser? Depends who you're asking". Haaretz. Retrieved April 21, 2021. Lempert, 43, held the Israel portfolio on the National Security Council during Barack Obama's last two years as president.
  7. ^ "Yael Lempert Archives". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "US officials refuse meeting with Harry Dunn's family due to 'lawsuit'". Shropshire Star. May 5, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Yael Lempert". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  11. ^ "PN51 — Yael Lempert — Department of State 118th Congress (2023-2024)". US Congress. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  12. ^ "Ambassador Yael Lempert Presents Her Credentials to His Majesty King Abdullah II" (Press release). U.S. Embassy in Jordan. September 24, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Jordan
2023–present 		Incumbent
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