Ron Dermer is a figure many Israelis don't know much about. The strategic affairs minister and south Florida native has long been touted as one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest allies, and he is now taking a major role in the negotiations for phase two of the hostage deal.
But who exactly is Dermer and how did he get into Israeli politics, to the point of becoming the prime minister's most reliable fixer?
Speaking on The Jerusalem Post Podcast with Zvika Klein, Netanyahu's former chief of staff Ari Harow shed light on the minister's life and the important roles he plays.
Who is Ron Dermer?
Born in south Florida and brought up in a family of staunch supporters of the Democratic Party, Dermer would eventually find his path to Israel through his academic studies.
"He went to Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and went to Oxford for his master's and continued into the private sector in the US," Harow said. "He had some time spent on the Hill."
That work, Harow noted, included working with pollster Frank Luntz and being involved with helping write Republican congressman Newt Gingrich's Contract with America.
"But it was after he finished his work at Oxford, or while he was finishing his work at Oxford, that he was introduced to the Israeli political system through Natan Sharansky."
At the time, Sharansky was launching his new political party. However, short on funds for pollsters and consultants, Sharansky was looking for anyone who could help him.
"They took people for free, and Ron was one of those people that was highly recommended," Harow recounted.
After that, Dermer became swept up in Israeli politics. He and Sharansky together wrote the book The Case for Democracy, a book that became widely influential and which US president George W. Bush touted as a blueprint for the world.
And Sharansky also introduced Dermer to Netanyahu.
"Ron continued to advise Natan Sharansky," Harow said. "We're talking about the period between 1999 and 2002. Netanyahu took a break from national politics. He was defeated in the '99 election by Ehud Barak, so he was prime minister and then he was in the private sector. As he was planning his return to the national scene, Natan Sharansky introduced him to Ron Dermer, and as they say, the rest was history.
"Netanyahu wasn't in an official position at that point. And Ron, to use the terminology that he has used many, many times, is the jack of all trades. From that perspective, he would advise Netanyahu on polling," Harow explained, noting Dermer's experience working as a pollster with Frank Luntz.
"He has a fantastic political mind and is very well versed in policy," he continued. "Netanyahu found an intellectual younger that he really felt could challenge and help him define a clear path forward, both from a political perspective and from a policy perspective."
One other interesting note that Harow brought up as someone else who worked very closely with Netanyahu was that the prime minister was able to enjoy speaking with the two of them in English.
"I think there is a comfort level that Netanyahu feels being able to speak to close confidants in English," Harow said. "When you look at his own history, Netanyahu spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States. It wasn't just at MIT, I mean he went to high school in the United States. He went to elementary school in the United States. He came back [working at] the embassy in Washington, and then after that, as ambassador. By the time he entered Israeli politics, which is in his mid to late 40s, the majority of his life had been spent in the United States. So he definitely feels a significant comfort in being able to speak in English."
Staying close to Netanyahu, Dermer was able to continue to climb the ladder.
Ron Dermer's rise in Israeli politics
Ariel Sharon temporarily made Netanyahu foreign minister in the early 2000s, where Dermer worked with him as an adviser. When Netanyahu was then appointed finance minister, Dermer, building off his finance major experience in university, became the economic attaché to the United States. This gave him even more valuable experience.
"This is very important when you look at the trajectory that Ron takes," Harow explained. "Because not only does that give him a taste of government and give him a taste of Washington, it allows him to really get to know the scene in a way that will benefit him and the State of Israel for many years to come."
After that, Dermer went back to Israel to continue advising Netanyahu. When Netanyahu is reelected prime minister in 2009, Dermer found himself in a bigger role than ever.
"Dermer enters the office as, once again, the jack of all trades," Harow said. "His title was senior adviser to the prime minister but he would do whatever needed to be done. And ultimately, the prime minister wanted him involved in everything. So it's everything from politics to policy to communication to strategy to security matters. He became an invaluable piece right within the Prime Minister's Office, and he stayed in that position."
Since then, Dermer has continued being Netanyahu's most useful piece, being able to do just about any task needed from him, whether as an adviser or as a diplomat. He eventually spent several years as Israel's ambassador to the US. But even then, Netanyahu just kept calling for Dermer.
"When I came back to the Prime Minister's Office as chief of staff, Ron was ambassador to the United States," Harow recalled. "Prior to entering my position, he said to me, 'Ari, your most important job as chief of staff is to make sure that the prime minister doesn't call me back to Israel every three weeks. And that happened a lot. That was happening literally every single month until I got there."
Despite his long service in politics and diplomacy, there are many who have fought against Dermer's position. At one point a commenter on Channel 12 went after Dermer during a broadcast.
"He made some very derogatory comments about Ron Dermer being alluding to the fact that he didn't serve in the army, and he didn't know Israeli folklore, and doesn't know Israel music," Harow recalled. He then came out in defense of the strategic affairs minister.
"He's devoted his life to the State of Israel," Harow said. "You can argue against his policies, you can argue against his ideology, but one thing you cannot argue about is his devotion and dedication to the Jewish state and the Jewish people."