Ambassadors of Israel to Spain

Shmuel Hadas became Israel's first ambassador to Spain after full diplomatic relations were established in 1986.[4] Later officeholders documented by the available sources include Shlomo Ben-Ami, Yaacov Cohen, Victor Harel, Raphael Schutz, Alon Bar, Daniel Kutner, and Rodica Radian-Gordon. The evidence provides exact tenure dates for some ambassadors but only dated snapshots for others.

The status of Israel's representation changed after Radian-Gordon's 2024 recall and retirement. Zvi Vapni was appointed as her intended successor but had not traveled to Madrid by June 2025, when Deputy Ambassador Dan Poraz was handling the embassy.[5][6] An official embassy page updated on April 17, 2026, lists Dana Erlich as head of mission rather than explicitly identifying her as ambassador.[7]

Israel and Spain established diplomatic relations on January 17, 1986, after years of negotiations.[2] Spain thereby officially recognized the State of Israel and became the last Western European state other than Vatican City to establish formal ties with it.[1] A United Nations catalog record also lists an Israeli-authored document titled "Diplomatic Relations Between Israel and Spain as of 17 Jan. 1986."[8]

The new relationship quickly generated public interest. In 1986, Israeli Ambassador Samuel Hadas and the president of Madrid's Jewish community addressed overflow audiences at Ibiza's Summer University, an event connected by its source to growing local interest in Jewish roots.[9] Hadas also attended a July 1986 dinner in Barcelona held only months after the establishment of relations.[10]

Shmuel (Samuel) Hadas served as Israel's first ambassador to Spain following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1986.[4] Born in Argentina and raised in Israel, he joined Israel's diplomatic service and held postings in Mexico, Colombia, and Bolivia. In 1982, he was appointed Israel's representative to the World Tourism Organization in Madrid, preceding his ambassadorial service. Sources render his given name as both "Shmuel" and "Samuel."[4][9]

Shlomo Ben-Ami served as ambassador from 1987 to 1991.[11] An Oxford-trained historian, he was recruited for the post by Labor politician Shimon Peres. Ben-Ami later entered Israeli politics and served as foreign minister at the Camp David summit in the summer of 2000.[12]

Dr. Yaacov Cohen served as ambassador from 1992 to 1995.[13] He completed a doctorate in economics at the University of Vienna while employed by Israel's Foreign Ministry and had previously served as ambassador to Venezuela from 1981 to 1985 and to Japan and South Korea from 1985 to 1988.[13]

Victor Harel was identified as Israel's ambassador to Spain at the March 2007 inauguration of Madrid's Museum of the History of the Jewish Community.[14]

Raphael (Rafi) Schutz, whose surname is also rendered Shutz and Shotz, was approved as ambassador by Israel's Foreign Ministry appointments committee in December 2006, with the new appointees expected to assume their positions in summer 2007.[15] He was documented in office in February 2010 and left Madrid in 2011 after approximately four years.[16][17] In his farewell message, he said: "The fact of having personally experienced the hate and the anti-Semitism that exists in Spanish society is something that I take away with me."[17] He was later appointed Israel's representative to the Vatican.[18]

Alon Bar was named as Schutz's replacement in 2011 and was identified as Israel's ambassador at a February 2014 ceremony in Girona marking the discovery of a medieval mikveh.[17][19]

Daniel Kutner was identified as ambassador at an October 2015 ceremony in Castrillo Mota de Judíos and when an American Jewish Committee delegation met him in Madrid in March 2016.[20][21] He remained in the post in October 2018, when he met Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.[22]

Rodica Radian-Gordon was serving as ambassador by March 2020, when the Madrid embassy continued operating remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak.[23] She welcomed the Balearic Islands Parliament's adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in June 2020 and called on other regional parliaments to follow its example.[24] In February 2023, demonstrators attempted to approach her at Complutense University of Madrid but were stopped by Israeli security personnel.[25]

Israeli ambassadors in Spain have participated in initiatives concerning Jewish history, public diplomacy, and bilateral cultural relations. Hadas's appearance before overflow audiences in Ibiza in 1986 reflected renewed Spanish interest in Jewish heritage after the establishment of relations.[9] Harel attended the 2007 opening of Madrid's Jewish-history museum alongside regional, municipal, and Jewish-community leaders.[14]

Bar participated in the 2014 announcement of a medieval mikveh discovery in Girona, while Kutner attended the 2015 ceremony celebrating the restoration of the name Castrillo Mota de Judíos.[19][20] Radian-Gordon's public activities included supporting the Balearic Islands Parliament's adoption of the IHRA definition and overseeing an embassy that maintained diplomatic and consular operations remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak.[24][23]

The ambassadorship became a focal point of a deepening bilateral dispute in late 2023. Israel recalled Radian-Gordon to Jerusalem for consultations in November after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez questioned whether Israel's war against Hamas complied with international humanitarian law.[3] Israel's foreign minister announced in January 2024 that she would return to Madrid the following week.[26]

On May 22, 2024, Spain announced that it would recognize a Palestinian state. Israel condemned the decision as a reward for terrorism and ordered the recall of its ambassadors from Spain, Ireland, and Norway.[2] Radian-Gordon subsequently retired from the diplomatic service, and Zvi Vapni was named as her intended successor.[5]

Vapni's appointment was accepted by the Spanish government, but he remained in Israel pending a political decision on travel to Madrid. By June 2025, Israel had no ambassador physically serving in Spain, and Deputy Ambassador Dan Poraz was in charge of the embassy.[27][6] A September 2025 report identified Dana Erlich as chargé d'affaires and Israel's top diplomat in Madrid.[28] The embassy's official page, updated April 17, 2026, lists her as head of mission, while an August 2026 report continued to identify her as chargé d'affaires.[7][29]

The available approved sources do not constitute a comprehensive or unbroken chronological roster. Exact full tenure dates are verified for Ben-Ami, who served from 1987 to 1991, and Cohen, who served from 1992 to 1995.[11][13] Schutz's service is described as lasting approximately four years, while Harel, Bar, Kutner, and Radian-Gordon are documented at particular dates without complete start and end dates in the sources retained here.

The evidence also distinguishes between an appointed ambassador, an ambassador physically serving in Madrid, a chargé d'affaires, and a head of mission. Vapni's appointment therefore does not establish that he assumed the post in Madrid, and Erlich's later leadership of the mission should not be presented as a confirmed ambassadorial tenure without clearer evidence.