Ronen Levy led the establishment of secret ties between Israel and countries with which it previously had no relations.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced on Sunday that Ronen Levy will replace Alon Ushpiz as ministry director general.
Levy, 48, has served for almost 30 years in the intelligence and defense community, the ministry said in a statement.

Levy began with field, operations, and intelligence positions in the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and worked up to the position of senior division head at the National Security Council (NSC) in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Levy led the establishment of secret ties between Israel and countries with which it previously had no relations. He served as a special envoy of the prime minister and the head of the NSC for special tasks, contributed behind the scenes to the Abraham Accords and was responsible for the relationship with parallel bodies around the world, according to the ministry.

Levy is a graduate of behavioral sciences, business management, and economics from Ben-Gurion University, and holds an MBA from the Peres Academic Center.