Politicsיהושע זרקא

Joshua Laurent Zarka

Joshua Zarka is an Israeli diplomat who has served as Israel's ambassador to France since 2024.

born 1964Israel's ambassador to FranceExpertise on Iran's nuclear programArms control diplomacy

Born: 10 April 1964, Paris
Occupation: diplomat

Joshua Laurent Zarka was born in 1964 in Paris

Joshua Zarka was born in Paris in 1964 to a family from Tunisia. In 1975 the family moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master's degree from the University of Haifa. He is also a graduate of the National Defense College.

Zarka worked as an economist at the Ministry of Finance and joined the Foreign Ministry cadet course in 1991. He served in Abidjan and Montreal, headed Israel's mission in Bahrain from 2009 to 2011, and worked on arms control at the mission in Geneva. From 2011 to 2015 he handled ties with Congress at the embassy in Washington.

From 2018 to 2024 he was Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs, focusing on Iran's nuclear program and arms control talks with the United States, Russia and China. He took up the post of ambassador to France in May 2024.

He is married to Esther and has 4 children.