Ruth Yaron

Ruth Yaron was born in 1957 in Constantine

Ruth Yaron was born in 1957 in Constantine, Algeria. She immigrated to Israel with her parents and sister in 1961 and grew up in Be'er Sheva.

She joined the IDF in 1974 with a Nahal group and served as a squad and platoon commander at Camp 80. She earned a B.A. in political science and international relations at the Hebrew University, and later an M.A. in political science and national security from the University of Haifa.

After the Foreign Ministry cadet course, she served in Abidjan, Montreal and Washington, where she was minister-counselor for media from 1989 to 1995. From 1995 to 1997 she headed the ministry's Jordan department, took part in peace talks and signed agreements with Jordan. She studied at the National Defense College in 1998 and was its chief instructor from 2000 to 2002.

In 2002 she became IDF Spokesperson, the first woman in the post and the first woman on the General Staff forum. During her term the unit was reorganized, and several incidents drew public criticism. Miri Regev replaced her in 2005, and in 2006 she advised northern communities on international media after the Second Lebanon War.