Asaf Shariv assumed the post of Consul General of Israel in New York in August 2007. Immediately prior to his appointment, he was the Director of Media and Public Affairs to Prime Ministers Ehud Olmert and Ariel Sharon. As the Prime Minsters’ personal media advisor and member of the Senior Staff, his responsibilities included supervising the Government’s Press Office and Advertising Bureau. He was also the spokesman for various government agencies, such as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (Mossad), the Atomic Energy Committee, the National Security Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Unit.