Mordechai David Palzur (born 1929, Tarnów, Poland) was an Israeli military officer, diplomat and chairman of the WJC Institute.
Biography
Palzur immigrated to Palestine in 1943, going on to study law at the Tel-Aviv School of Law and Economics and later, law, international relations and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Military career
Palzur was injured while serving as an officer during the 1947–1949 Palestine war and was released from military service in 1949. He returned to serve on the General Staff during the Six-Day War. He has been awarded Israeli military distinctions including the Order of the Haganah; Fighters of the State of Israel; Independence Star; and the Six-Day War ribbon.
Diplomatic career
He joined the Foreign Service in 1950 and served in Mexico as Consul (1961–64), in Pretoria as Counselor and Chargé d'Affairs (1969–71), Chargé d'Affairs to Cyprus (1971–74). Because of his efforts at rescuing Israeli journalists during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Palzur was cited for gallantry by the Israeli Foreign Minister, General Yigal Allon. From 1975–78 he served as Ambassador to Bolivia, 1982–86 Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. When he was appointed to Warsaw in 1986, he was “the first Israeli diplomat to serve behind the Iron Curtain since the severance of diplomatic relations by Communist countries as a result of the Six-Day War” serving as Ambassador until 1990.