JERUSALEM (JTA) — Michael Oren has not decided whether he will run in Israel’s upcoming elections, a source close to Israel’s former U.S. ambassador said.
Israeli media had reported over the weekend that Oren would join the new Kulanu party of former Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon, who left the Likud Party and politics in 2013.
On Sunday, the source told JTA that Oren has not made his call about joining anyone’s list for the March 17 vote.
“Right now Israel is in tough shape with its international relations and international standing, and Michael is considering the best path to continue his life’s work of serving the state of Israel and helping improve Israel’s international standing,” the source said. “Politics is only one of those potential paths.”
Oren is now teaching at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel and writing a book on his tenure in Washington from 2009 to 2013. He is the author of the award-winning book “Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East.”
