Haim Koren

Haim Koren was born in 1953 in Israel

Haim Koren was born on 6 June 1953 in Israel.

He earned a bachelor's degree in Middle East history and political science at the University of Haifa, and a master's degree in the history of Islamic lands at the Hebrew University. His Ph.D. dealt with local archives in Darfur in western Sudan from 1720 to 1916. He speaks Arabic, including Sudanese dialects.

At the Foreign Ministry he served in Nepal, Egypt and the United States, with posts in Kathmandu, Alexandria and Chicago. He was deputy spokesman, director of the Political Planning Division and director of the Middle East Division. He also chaired the ministry's workers' committee and pushed for reform in how ambassadors are appointed.

In 2011 his appointment as ambassador to Turkmenistan was canceled after Turkmenistan refused to accept him. In 2012 he became Israel's first ambassador to South Sudan, and in 2014 he was named ambassador to Egypt, leaving the post at his own request in 2016.

He has taught at the University of Haifa, Emek Yezreel College and the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, on Middle East history, Islam and Arab society.