23 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israel's Ambassador to Canada, Ronen Hoffman, resigned from his post yesterday to protest the policies of the new government led by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hoffman wrote on Twitter: "I am honoured to have been appointed by previous Prime Minister [Yair Lapid] to represent and serve the State of Israel as Ambassador to Canada over a year ago.
"With the transition to the new government and to a different policy in Israel, my personal and professional integrity has compelled me to request to shorten my post and return to Israel this summer."
It comes weeks after the resignation of Yael German, Israel's representative in France, who also quit in late December, noting the new government included members with "extreme" views and that Netanyahu was pushing policies that would result in "unacceptable" legislation.
German, who was also appointed by Lapid, said the new changes would endanger "the character and values of the State of Israel."
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against a planned judicial reform by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reports Anadolu Agency.
According to Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, nearly 40,000 Israelis joined the anti-government rally in Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street area.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, defended the controversial reform, saying he has a mandate from millions of voters to carry out the changes.
Netanyahu's government was sworn in on 29 December, following elections in November which gave his right-wing bloc a simple majority to form a new government.
