Ariel Goldblatt

The Honorable Foreign Minister Ariel Goldblatt
Foreign Minister Katz, addressing the press in April 2020.
Foreign Minister of Yisrael
Incumbent
Assumed office February 3rd, 2020
Preceded by	Yitzchok Katz
Yisraeli Ambassador to Ghant
In office June 20th, 2018 – February 3rd, 2020
Preceded by	Yael Lifschitz
Succeeded by	Adam Zucco
Deputy Foreign Minister for Ghant and Northern Belisaria
In office January 3rd, 2015 – June 12th, 2018
Preceded by	Yonason Halutz
Succeeded by	Gadi Pinto (acting)
Chief of Staff, Office of Member of Knesset Yitzchok Katz (TA-Yerushalayim)
In office January 6th, 2004 – January 3rd, 2015
Personal details
Born	October 4th, 1975 Ein Succos, Dervaylik District
Nationality	Yisraeli
Political party	Royalist Conservative Party (2019-present) Torah Achdus (1987-2019)
Spouse	Nechuma (née Arush)
Residence(s)	Yerushalayim, Yisrael
Alma mater	B.T.L., Mir Yeshiva; J.D., King David University School of Law
Profession	Lawyer, Functionary, Civil servant

Ariel A. Goldblatt (born October 4th, 1975) is a Yisraeli lawyer, civil servant, and political functionary. He is the current Foreign Minister of Yisrael. He is formerly the Yisraeli Ambassador to Ghant (2018-2020), the former deputy Foreign Minister for Ghant and Northern Belisaria (2015-2018), as well as the former chief of staff for then-Member of Knesset (and current President) Yitzchok Katz. He is a member of the Royalist Conservative Party.

He has become well-known among the Yisraeli public and the global political-economic elite class for his role in the Midnight Affair. He is known to have a pro-Ghant foreign policy perspective, and has built years of relationships with leading Ghantish leaders and public figures, including the Emperor of Ghant Nathan IV.

Amid the 2019-2020 crisis in Gran Aligonia, the new Foreign Minister has warned, alongside Justice Minister David Roth, that the new United Republic regime in the GA along with the Messidor Union and Vardana were creating a "Periclean republican axis" against the Western Monarchies in the region, notably Latium, Lihnidos, Yisrael, and others.

Early life and education

He grew up for most of his childhood in Dervaylik, in the Chareidi-dominant neighborhood of Ben HaChareidas, before his family moved to a similarly-affiliated religious neighborhood in Yerushalayim called Har Nof in 1984. In Har Nof, he became friends with Yitzchok Katz, although they were about eight years apart in age, due to their family's closeness and shared interest in politics.

Goldblatt served his national service in the Royal Yisraeli Security Service, before attending law school at King David University. In 1998, as he was finishing his legal studies, he was introduced to Nechuma Arush through friends, and they dated and were engaged in eight weeks. Three months later, they married.

Legal career

Goldblatt applied and joined the Crown Prosecution Service in the Ministry of Justice in Yerushalayim, becoming a line prosecutor.

In 2000, he made major headlines indicting and convicting the senior corporate board of Ashdod-Yushel Transport for violating the international sanctions regime against Mutul.

Between 2002 and 2003, he reconnected with Katz through shared political activities in local Torah Achdus circles, and was the campaign scheduler for Katz's first Knesset run in the 2004 elections.

Foreign Ministry official (2015-2018)

After the resignation of Ozriel Kominsky as then-President Noah Feldman's Foreign Minister in mid-December 2014, Feldman ended up picking Torah Achdus Member of Knesset Yitzchok Katz as his next FM nominee, who was confirmed on January 3rd, 2015 into his post. Rumors after Katz's selection swirled in Yerushalayim that Katz would bring along his chief of staff, Goldblatt, for a senior role in the Foreign Ministry. On December 26th, Feldman sacked his incumbent deputy FM for Ghant and Northern Belisaria, Yonoson Halutz, and announced Goldblatt would be nominated to take his place. Along the new FM on January 3rd, Goldblatt was voted on and confirmed by the Knesset, into the deputy FM role by a 84-52 vote (with 6 abstentions).

2015-2017

While his portfolio was Ghant and northern Belisaria, particularly the countries north of Lyncanestria to Keuland, Ministry staff began to notice that Goldblatt was brought in to advise on all foreign crises and internal affairs by Katz, reprising his role as the new FM's top confidante and political advisor.

It was Goldblatt's advice to that Feldman took to pass along intercepted electronic intelligence during the 2016 Latin succession crisis to Constantine XX of Latium regarding military moves by his younger brother, Prince Michael of Latium. The deputy FM again played an important role in advising the Crown Prince Hezekiah III and his brothers to attend the December 8th, 2017 wedding of the Latin Emperor to cement closer ties with the Latins, acting allegedly on direct consultations with several unnamed senior Ghantish court figures whose advice he gave to Katz and Feldman, who signed off on the move.

2017-2018 Sydalene crisis

Main article: Sydalene Revolution

Resignation

Main article: Midnight Affair

Goldblatt was apparently ensnared in the Midnight Affair scandal of June 11-13, 2018. In the evening of June 11, Ghantish Lord Godfrey Galan and his entourage were allegedly arrested by the Mash'az for soliciting for homosexual prostitution and engaging in a forbidden sexual act. Although the official records are suppressed, circumstantial records through media leaks and other sources suggest Goldblatt was made aware of the supposed arrest and coordinated with Cabinet officials to discretely release Galan and avoid a paper trail as to not injure Ghant-Yisrael relations.

The deputy FM was apparently successful in having Galan's arrest logs sealed by the courts and the man and his bodyguards put on a plane and sent home, but the events leaked to media on June 12th, causing a public firestorm. President Feldman denied the whole episode, firing the two Cabinet ministers said to be involved. Later that same day, Goldblatt announced his resignation from his post.

Ambassador to Ghant (2018-2020)

Main articles: Midnight Affair and June 20, 2018 attack on Ambassador Goldblatt in Arcadia, Lihnidos

Foreign Minister (2020-present)

Main article: Cabinet of the Katz administration

As Foreign Minister under Katz, Goldblatt was immediately confronted or inherited several foreign policy crises, including the 2019-2020 crisis in Gran Aligonia, the rise of the Liberal Democratic Front of Yisrael in response to the Hezekian Reaction, and a break in cordial relations with the Messidor Union while, conversely, a dramatic improvement and strengthening of ties with Latium.

In April 2020, leaked diplomatic cables from several Western Monarchy foreign intelligence services, including Latium and Sydalon, indicate that these countries believe Nathan IV of Ghant and Goldblatt engage in backchannel diplomacy, coordinating certain foreign policy actions between Ghant and Yisrael since the latter's elevation to FM, much to their concern and consternation.

Tensions with Messidor

Main articles: Messidor Union-Yisrael relations and Hezekian Reaction

Civil war in Enyama

Main article: Enyaman Civil War

Political views

He is considered a mainstream member in the Conservative Party. He has been quoted as saying "national interests" should trump strict application of morality in Yisrael's foreign relations, a stance that has won plaudits from foreign audiences in Ghant and Latium.

Alongside Yitzchok Katz and (current Torah Achdus leader and MK) Moshe Lippman, Goldblatt was a leading member of the "New Chareidi" clique that took over the Torah Achdus leadership in 2009 and reoriented the religious third-party towards the Conservatives. After he joined Katz in a Lippman-blessed deal where Katz and Goldblatt switched parties from TA to the Blues so that Katz could run for president as Feldman's heir, he was warmly welcomed into the Conservatives, having already maintained friendly and strong ties to leading Conservative politicians and their staffs.

Although raised in the Chareidi sector (also known as the Non-Zionist Religious Right), he has described himself and by others as occupying the socio-religious role of "Chardal," in between the National Religious and Chareidi sectors.

Relationship with Yitzchok Katz

Goldblatt and Katz have had a friendship dating since young adolescence, with their families attending the same shul and hosting each other for meals on Shabbos and Yontif. Both had an interest in politics and law as a profession, and they maintained a relationship through yeshiva, their national service, and into law practice.

Goldblatt told Channel 20 News in May 2016 that "Yitzchok [Katz] and I have known each other for years. He and I...had a similar inclination towards politics. We found that we had similar political attitudes, and he [being older] introduced me to some folks in the local party so I could be involved in some political activities. You come across a lot of personalities and philosophies in politics. When you find a like mind, you tend to keep the friendship strong."

Personal life and family

Goldblatt is married to Nechuma (née Arush) since 1998. They have 5 children (by order of age): Eliezer (age 19), Sora Emunah (age 19), Moshe (age 17), Noam (age 14), and Kabi (age 9).

He learns Daf Yomi every morning, and has a local rabbi give a shiur at the Foreign Ministry to senior staff since he took over as Foreign Minister.