Biography
Keren Hajioff is a senior advisor on Middle East affairs and strategic communications at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Before joining FDD, Keren was the international spokeswoman and special advisor for foreign affairs and communications for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. At the time of her appointment, Keren was the youngest person to ever hold this role. When Yair Lapid became prime minister in 2022, Keren continued in her position.
As a senior advisor to two Israeli prime ministers, Keren was instrumental in shaping Israel’s foreign policy and strategic communications. She worked to revamp the country’s Iran strategy, was involved in mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and helped to strengthen regional relationships through the Abraham Accords.
Keren previously served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for over a decade and reached the rank of Major. During her time in the Israeli military, she served in the Artillery Corps, Foreign Relations Division, National Defense College, and Spokesperson’s Unit.
In the Spokesperson’s Unit, Keren was the head of the IDF’s Public Diplomacy Office from 2014-2018, where she was responsible for planning and executing all government visits, including by heads of state, members of Congress, and representatives of international organizations.
In 2018, Keren was appointed to lead the IDF Social Media office. Her work in this role resulted in a 3,000 percent increase in the IDF’s organic growth on social media, making headline news worldwide and earning the IDF 5 million followers. For her exceptional performance, Keren received an Award of Excellence from the head of the Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva.
In 2020, Keren was appointed spokesperson of the IDF Northern Command, where she worked closely with the head of the command, Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, and built strategic communication plans for the Israeli, international, Arabic-speaking, and Iranian audiences.
Keren was born in the United Kingdom and moved to Israel in 2009. Keren holds a BA in Political Science and a master’s degree in political communication from Bar-Ilan University.