Ambassador Reda Mansour

His 35-year diplomatic career, which he began in 1990, included key positions worldwide. He held senior postings as ambassador to Brazil, Panama, and Ecuador; deputy ambassador in Portugal; consul general in Atlanta; and consul in San Francisco. Appointed at 35, he was the youngest ambassador in Israel’s history and the first Druze career diplomat.

Fluent in five languages, he has served as a visiting professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Haifa University, and Reichman University. Mansour is a longtime activist for peace, dialogue, and the integration of minorities into society, both in Israel and internationally. In recognition of these efforts, he was inducted into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Sponsors at Atlanta’s prestigious Morehouse College. He was also awarded the Israeli Prime Minister’s and President’s Award and the AJC President’s Award.

Mansour was the co-founder and CEO of the Swedish organization Star for Life Jerusalem, dedicated to developing the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem through social-emotional education, employment, and the creation of an IT ecosystem. In recognition of this effort, he was elected as a member of the Hebrew University’s Board of Governors.

Mansour received international recognition for his leadership and innovative work, including the International Heroes Award for Excellence, the “Juscelino Kubitschek” (Brazilian President) Medal of Merit, and the Order of Vasco Núñez de Balboa of Panama award for distinguished diplomatic services and contributions to international relations. He was chosen as one of the “100 Most Influential Atlantans” alongside many prominent figures such as U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Congressman John Lewis.

Mansour is an accomplished author. He has published several collections of Hebrew poetry and participated in literary festivals worldwide. His poetry examines cultural and historical themes, blending diverse traditions. He is also the author of “We Who Shape Nations – Diplomacy in the Modern Age,” which explores the history of diplomacy and its modern challenges. Mansour has received the Haaretz Annual Short Story Award and the Miller Poetry Award. His research focuses on identity and intellectual discourse in the Middle East.

Mansour has served on the boards of civic organizations in Israel and abroad, focusing on education, cultural exchange, and humanitarian initiatives. Through this work, he has actively promoted coexistence and dialogue between communities.

Mansour holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern History from the University of Haifa, where he researched modern Syria, and he is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Wexner Israel Fellow. He attended Bosmat, the Technion’s high school for science and technology education, where he studied mechanical engineering.

Born and raised in the Druze village of Isfiya, Mansour is fluent in five languages and is married with three children.