Israel's ambassador to the US Michael Oren denied on Sunday a Makor
Rishon report that he has asked to return to Israel after nearly four years in
Washington, and will be replaced by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's top
aide, Ron Dermer.
Oren, who went to Washington soon after Netanyahu's
election in 2009, is attending the conference of Israel's ambassadors and heads
of delegations meeting in Jerusalem. He told reporters covering President Shimon
Peres' speech to the group that there was no truth in the story, and that it was
not the first time such rumors had surfaced.
The Prime
Minister's Office declined to comment, and the embassy in Washington dismissed
the report as baseless.