First Former SLA Family Member Joins Israel's Diplomatic Corps
Jonathan Elkhoury has become the first person of South Lebanon Army descent to join Israel's Foreign Ministry diplomatic corps, starting an intensive training course alongside 35 other selected cadets.
Jonathan Elkhoury, the son of a former South Lebanon Army (SLA) fighter, has begun the Foreign Ministry's prestigious diplomatic training course. He is among 36 cadets selected from a pool of roughly 2,000 applicants, marking the first time an individual from an SLA background has joined the diplomatic corps.
"This was the most natural step in my life story, a direct continuation of the alliance my parents forged with the State of Israel," Elkhoury wrote on social media. The new cohort includes 19 women and 17 men aged 26 to 51, featuring professionals from both the public and private sectors, including architects, screenwriters, publishers, and new immigrants from Russia, Ethiopia, England, Venezuela, and Canada.
Rigorous Selection and Training
With an acceptance rate of under two percent, the six-month training program prepares candidates for roles at Foreign Ministry headquarters and diplomatic missions worldwide. Addressing the opening ceremony alongside ministry leadership, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar emphasized the vital importance of public diplomacy in the current climate.
"Represent Israel with a deep sense of justice. That is the core of the mission," Sa'ar stated. "The better spokespersons you are, the better diplomats you will be. We are fighting a war not only on the battlefield, but in the cognitive arena against formidable forces, and if we do not know how to tell our story, no one will do it for us."
