Does Tzipi Hotovely Support Israel?

Does Tzipi Hotovely Support Israel?

Tal Feldman Updated Aug 07, 2026 3 min read

Short answer: Yes. Tzipi Hotovely is one of Israel's most outspoken pro-Israel voices in government, a religious-Zionist diplomat and former minister who has spent two decades publicly arguing for Jewish sovereignty over the whole land of Israel, served as Israel's Ambassador to the UK through the October 7 war years, and in 2026 was appointed to lead Israel's national public diplomacy (hasbara) effort from inside the Prime Minister's Office. As of August 2026.

What Tzipi Hotovely has actually said and done

  • May 21, 2015: As deputy foreign minister, Hotovely told incoming Foreign Ministry staff that "we must return to the basic truth about our right to the land" and that "this country is all ours. We didn't come here to apologize for that," arguing Israel should press for international recognition of settlement building. The remarks were reported the same day by the Times of Israel.
  • January 2020: Hotovely was sworn in as Israel's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, following earlier service as Deputy Foreign Minister, Minister of Settlement Affairs, and Minister of Diaspora Affairs. She held the London post until 2025, according to her biographical record, which is consistent with contemporaneous news coverage of her tenure.
  • November 9, 2021: Hotovely was rushed out of a London School of Economics debate under heavy security after pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded her and a man rushed toward her. British ministers including Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi publicly condemned the treatment. The incident was reported by the Times of Israel and confirmed by the Jerusalem Post.
  • December 13, 2023: In a combative Sky News interview during the Gaza war, Hotovely, then still serving as Israel's ambassador to the UK, rejected a two-state solution outright, telling the interviewer "the answer is absolutely no." The exchange was covered by the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel.
  • April 26, 2026: Israel's cabinet unanimously approved Prime Minister Netanyahu's appointment of Hotovely, by then the former UK ambassador, as head of the newly revived National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister's Office, the government body tasked with running Israel's public diplomacy (hasbara) effort. Reported by the Times of Israel and confirmed in an official Government of Israel notice.
  • May 5, 2026: Hotovely formally took office as Director of the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, a post that had sat vacant for roughly two years before her appointment, per the Government of Israel's official notice.

Who is Tzipi Hotovely

Hotovely was born on December 2, 1978, in Rehovot, to Georgian-Jewish immigrants (olim) to Israel, and is a graduate of a Bnei Akiva religious girls' high school. She entered the Knesset with Likud in 2009 as its youngest member and went on to hold several ministerial and deputy-ministerial portfolios, including Deputy Foreign Minister, Minister of Settlement Affairs, and Minister of Diaspora Affairs, before her 2020 appointment as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She held that post through the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing war until 2025. Throughout her career she has been one of the religious right's most consistent voices, publicly and repeatedly rejecting Palestinian statehood, defending Jewish settlement of the West Bank as a national and biblical right, and framing Israel's claim to the land in explicitly religious terms rooted in her Orthodox religious-Zionist worldview. That advocacy made her a lightning rod in the UK, including the 2021 LSE incident described above. In April and May 2026, she moved from diplomacy back into government, taking charge of Israel's central public diplomacy operation, the office responsible for coordinating the state's messaging to the world. As of this writing (August 2026), she remains alive, active, and one of the Israeli government's most visible pro-Israel spokespeople.

The bottom line

Tzipi Hotovely's entire public record, from her 2015 "this land is ours" speech through her combative wartime defense of Israel on UK television to her 2026 appointment running Israel's national hasbara operation, shows sustained, high-profile advocacy for Israel and for Jewish claims to the land. She supports West Bank settlement and rejects Palestinian statehood, positions rooted in her Orthodox religious-Zionist worldview, and she has held that line consistently across a two-decade career in Israeli politics and diplomacy.

Carry that support with you

If Hotovely's decades of outspoken advocacy for Israel resonate with you, our Support Israel collection is a way to carry that same conviction into everyday life, from a simple Shalom Star of David necklace to apparel and accessories made to say it plainly: proud, unashamed support for the Jewish state.

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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.

Tal Feldman

Shop Israel brings you meaningful Jewish jewelry, gifts, and Dead Sea care, made in and for Israel.