Yehuda Lancry, born on September 25, 1947, is an academic and diplomat, and a former ambassador to the United Nations and to France. After completing his secondary education at an Alliance school in Casablanca, he made aliyah in 1965 and earned a doctorate in French literature from the University of Haifa and the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. From 1983 to 1992, he served as head of the local council of the Schlomi district, and from 1991 to 1992, as chairman of Israel’s Second Broadcasting Authority. In 1992, he was appointed ambassador to France, a position he held until 1995. In 1996, he was elected to the Knesset on the Likud-Gesher list and served as vice-speaker of the Knesset and chairman of the Ethics Committee.