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Irwin Katsof, who has orchestrated US-Israeli ties over the years, is exerting strained efforts to lure wealthy private investors in Saudi to do business with “Israel”, a new report by Intelligence Online highlighted.

Irwin Katsof sells himself as a "rabbi, writer, trade adviser to the US government and couples therapist," as per the report.

Riyadh looks to be the next destination on Irwin Katso's uncertain professional journey. Katsof, a trade missions.org adviser to the US Department of Commerce since 2014, is now spending a lot of time on the phone with Saudi Arabian funds and family offices, the report highlighted.

Katsof seems to be paving the way for the major business dynasties of Saudi Arabia, the Al Rajhi, Al Ajlan, Zahid, and Al Othaim families, to meet with US investors who will be heading to Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah on a trip he is heading from 16 to 19 October.

Katsof, an expert in US-Israeli economic relations, is optimistic that the event would result in effective fund-raising for the Haganah-minded politics in "Israel"  with the aid of the US Embassy in Riyadh.

Paving the muddy road

In the upcoming weeks, Trademissions.org will also send trade delegations to Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Katof raised money for private equity investors through his company Katsof Consulting, which he created in 2011, as a result of his first trade missions. His Israeli relations are, however, constantly monitored by Saudi funding in Riyadh, the report added.

Even if there is a tangible desire in Saudi business circles for an official rapprochement with "Israel", the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran means that the kingdom's family offices are exercising extreme caution, as per the report.

After marrying Judy Katsof and relocating to Los Angeles in 1982, Katsof, a native of Jerusalem, had a lucrative career in "US-Israel business diplomacy".

He brought many investors and prominent US officials, most notably those from the defense industry, to "Israel" while serving as the founding CEO and chairman of the business club Global Capital Associates from 2005 to 2012. Prior to that, he launched the New York-based "Jerusalem Fund" in 1995. 

From 2004 to 2008, Katsof planned trips for former George W. Bush ministers John Ashcroft and John Snow, undersecretary of the army Joe Reeder, former head of the Iraqi coalition Paul Bremer, and Texas governor Rick Perry, who later served as the energy secretary under former US President Donald Trump. The "King David Hotel" in occupied Al-Quds was a frequent location for meetings with senior Israeli officials. 

Throughout the years, Katsof's meetings have been joined in by former Shin Bet director Avi Dichter, previous defense ministers Ehud Barak, and prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Olmert, and Shimon Peres. When Katsof's delegates decided to include a trip to Amman, King Abdullah II of Jordan also put on an appearance.

Unwavering support for "Israel"

In multiple private equity fund-raising events at the investment firm Forbes & Manhattan Group in 2013, Katsof made effective use of his connections. At the same time, US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke hired him to assist the government with commercial energy policy. He served in this position from 2011 to 2015, building a reputation as a man who could move across diverse cultures. 

Before Katsof was ordained as a rabbi in 1992, he assisted in establishing an outpost of "Aish HaTorah" in Los Angeles. This Talmudic institution has its Israeli headquarters just across from Al-Buraq Wall in occupied Al-Quds.

He has written three books, including one with American TV presenter Larry King.

Between 2010 and 2022, he also organized trips to "Israel" for the US Hispanic population through America's Voice in "Israel".  His Global Business Leadership Council meetings were extremely popular in the 2000s, drawing world leaders including Helmut Kohl, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, and Benazir Bhutto.

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