Israeli Ambassador in Washington denies return request

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, the Jerusalem Post reported. 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. This is also not the first time Dermer's name has been put forward as a possible ambassador to Washington; he was mentioned as a possible candidate back in 2009 as well. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment, and the embassy in Washington dismissed the report as baseless.