Politicsרפאל הרפז

Rafael Harpaz

Rafael Harpaz is an Israeli diplomat who has served as Israel's ambassador to South Korea since September 2024.

born 1962Ambassador to South KoreaAmbassador to Azerbaijan and the PhilippinesHolocaust assets in Swiss banks

Born: 8 January 1962, Jerusalem
Occupation: diplomat
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University

Rafael Harpaz was born in 1962 in Jerusalem

Rafael Harpaz was born in Jerusalem on January 8, 1962, and grew up in the Beit HaKerem neighborhood. His father, Nissan Harpaz, was secretary of the Histadrut in Jerusalem and a member of the city council. His mother, Rachel Harpaz, was a piano teacher, painter, writer and poet.

He studied at Boyar High School in Jerusalem and served in the IDF from 1980 to 1983. He earned a B.A. in international relations from the Hebrew University in 1987. In 2017 he completed an M.A. with distinction in a diplomacy and security program at Tel Aviv University.

He joined the Foreign Ministry cadet course in 1989. He was deputy chief of mission in Abidjan, Bern and Stockholm, and worked on the issue of Holocaust victims' assets in Swiss banks. From 2005 to 2009 he was minister for public diplomacy at the embassy in Washington.

He was ambassador to Azerbaijan from 2012 to 2015 and to the Philippines from 2018 to 2021. From 2021 to 2024 he was deputy director general for Asia and the Pacific. He is married to Shulamit and has 3 children.