Daniel C. Kurtzer

Daniel C. Kurtzer "is the former U.S. Ambassador to both Egypt and Israel...

"Ambassador Kurtzer holds the S. Daniel Abraham Chair in Middle East Policy Studies at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He retired from the United States Foreign Service at the end of 2005, with the rank of Career-Minister in the Senior Foreign Service.

"Between 2001-2005, Dr. Kurtzer served as the United States Ambassador to Israel. Immediately prior to that, between 1997-2001, he served as the United States Ambassador to Egypt.

"Ambassador Kurtzer entered the Foreign Service in 1976. He served in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs and as a political officer at the American embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv. After returning to Washington in 1986, he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs, as a speechwriter on the Policy Planning Staff, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research.

"Ambassador Kurtzer was intimately involved in Middle East peace negotiations and the formulation of American policy in the Middle East for almost three decades. He was a member of the American delegation to the Israel-Palestinian autonomy negotiations 1979-1982, helped negotiate the creation of the Multinational Force and Observers 1981-1982, and negotiated and oversaw the successful arbitration of the Taba border dispute between Israel and Egypt. In 1988, he crafted the peace initiative of Secretary of State George P. Shultz, and in 1991, served as a member of the U.S. peace team that brought about the Madrid Peace Conference. Subsequently, he served as overall coordinator of the multilateral peace negotiations and as the U.S. Representative in the Multilateral Refugee Working Group.

"As U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and Israel, Ambassador Kurtzer contributed significantly to ongoing efforts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Israel and Syria, including direct participation in Israel-Palestinian efforts to end intifada terrorism and achieve progress toward a two-state solution on the basis of President Bush’s roadmap for peace.

"During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Kurtzer received several of the U.S. Government’s most prestigious awards, including the President’s Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State Distinguished Service Award, the National Intelligence Community’s Award for Achievement, the Director General of the Foreign Service Award for Political Reporting, and numerous Superior Honor Awards. In 2005, Ambassador and Mrs. Kurtzer were awarded the Henrietta Szold Award by Hadassah in recognition of their distinctive service on behalf of humanitarian causes. The first recipient of the award was Eleanor Roosevelt in 1949.

"Ambassador Kurtzer received his B.A. from Yeshiva University and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. Between 1977-1979, Ambassador Kurtzer served as the Dean of Yeshiva College.

"He is married to Sheila Kurtzer and has three sons, David, Yehuda and Jacob, two daughters-in-law, Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen and Stephanie Ives, a granddaughter, Gabriella Sylvie Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, and a grandson, Noah Clement Ives-Kurtzer."


 * Trustee, American University in Cairo
 * Adviser, Oxford Research Group
 * Former Director, Nikanor

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