Political paralysis stymies appointment of Israel envoy

The great majority of ambassadors and consuls are civil servants and professional diplomats, but the government has a quota of 11 "political appointees". Over the past year, the election campaign and the tense relations between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and previous foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, who decided not to join the coalition, has stymied the appointment process.

Read: Farewell, Mr Ambassador - Interview with Daniel Taub

A total of seven Israeli ambassadors are scheduled to leave their posts this summer, with no successors in place.

"This is no way to run an organisation, certainly not one that is supposed to be in charge of Israel's foreign policy," complained one veteran diplomat.

The uncertainty meant that Ambassador Taub did not know until a few weeks ago whether he would be expected to serve another year in London.