His Excellency the Ambassador of Israel to France
Mr. Joshua L. ZARKA assumed his duties as Ambassador of Israel to France in May 2024.
Previously, he served as Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs since July 2018.
Prior to his assignment, he served as Head of the North America Bureau in the North America Division.
Mr. Zarka holds a BA in Economics and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a MA in Political Science from the University of Haifa.
He worked as an economist in the Israeli Ministry of Finance before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991.
Mr. ZARKA began his diplomatic career abroad in Côte d'Ivoire and Montreal from 1993 to 1998.
Upon his return to Israel, he served as Deputy Director in the Coordination Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem from 1998 to 2002, in charge of developing diplomatic relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
He continued his career abroad as Israel's representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from 2002 to 2006, before serving as Advisor in the Strategic Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2007) and Director of External Relations at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (2007-2009).
From 2009 to 2011, he served as the Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy to the Persian Gulf, from 2011 to 2015, he served as the Minister for Congressional Affairs in Washington, D.C., and from 2015 to 2016, he was a lecturer at the Israel Defense College.
Mr. ZARKA is fluent in Hebrew, English, and French.
He is married to Esther, with whom he has four children.