David Kimche

David Kimche was born in 1928 in London

David Kimche was born in London in 1928, the ninth child in his family. As a child he lived with his family in Zurich before they returned to England. He was a member of the Habonim movement.

He came to the Land of Israel in 1946 on a student visa and studied agriculture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He later earned degrees in Middle East studies and sociology, finishing in 1953, and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1970 he completed a doctorate in international relations on the Afro-Asian movement.

He joined the Haganah in November 1947 and fought in the War of Independence. He was wounded in the battle for Abu Tor in Jerusalem.

Kimche joined the Mossad in 1953 and held posts in Africa, Asia and Europe, rising to deputy director. From 1980 he was director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he took part in secret diplomacy, including contacts in Lebanon and the Iran-Contra affair. He later served as ambassador-at-large, joined the Israeli delegation to the Madrid Conference and helped draft the Geneva Initiative in 2003.

In 1989 he founded the Israel Council on Foreign Relations. He wrote several books, some with his brother Jon Kimche, and chaired the board of Maariv from 2005 to 2008. He died at his home in Ramat HaSharon in 2010.