BICOM

The Foreign Office announced yesterday that David Quarrey will succeed Matthew Gould as the UK’s Ambassador to Israel in July.

Quarrey is a senior diplomat who currently serves as the Director of the Foreign Office’s Near East and North Africa Division. During more than 20 years at the Foreign Office, Quarrey has worked in British missions at the United Nations in New York, in New Delhi and in Harare.  He was also the private secretary to Tony Blair from 2004 to 2006, during Blair’s time as Prime Minister and director for foreign policy at the National Security Secretariat.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office Quarrey said, “I am delighted to be appointed as British Ambassador to Israel.” Adding, “It is a great privilege to have this opportunity to deepen our already thriving economic, science and technology ties with Israel, cooperate against shared security threats and work for progress towards peace.”

Quarrey is set to assume his post in July. He will take over from Matthew Gould, who has been the UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv since 2010. During his time in Israel, Gould has consistently reiterated the government’s opposition towards any attempts to boycott, divest or apply sanctions to Israel. He has also been central in promoting growing business and scientific ties between the UK and Israel. In particular, he has overseen the establishment of a successful hi-tech hub to encourage British-Israeli partnerships in digital, biomedical and cleantech industries.

Speaking at a fundraising dinner in London on Monday, Gould reflected fondly on his time in Israel, saying, “I have to tell you it will be very hard to go. Very hard to leave the place where we started our family, the only place my girls have ever called home.”