Jonathan Conricus (יהונתן קונריקוס; born 1979) is a Swedish-Israeli retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A former combat commander, and 24-year IDF veteran, he was the international spokesperson of the IDF from 2017 to 2021. Conricus is now a senior fellow at the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is based in Washington, DC, in the United States.
Jonathan Conricus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | יהונתן קונריקוס |
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Allegiance |  Israel Defense Forces |
| Service |  Israeli Ground Forces; Operations Directorate |
| Years of service | 1997–2021, 2023 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Known for | IDF International Spokesperson |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Spouse(s) | wife |
| Children | 4 |
| Other work | Senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies |
Early and personal life
editConricus is the son of an Israeli mother and a Swedish father.[1] He was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and raised in Malmö, Sweden--in Hyllie and Djupadal.[2][1][3] His grandfather, Daniel Bornstein, grew up in Oswiecim where the Germans built the Auschwitz concentration camp, and was a Holocaust survivor along with his grandfather's sister; the rest of his family was murdered.[4]
When he was 13 years of age, Conricus and his family moved back to Israel.[1] He graduated with a BA in Middle Eastern and Military Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He and his wife have four children.[5]
Israel Defense Forces and diplomatic career
editConricus is a retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[1] He spent 24 years in the IDF, from 1997 to 2021.[1][6]
In 1997, when Conricus was 18 years of age, he was drafted into the IDF, and served in the Givati Brigade.[2] He was a combat commander in Lebanon and in Gaza.[1][7] From 1997–2000 he served as an infantry soldier in an elite unit in southern Lebanon.[2][6] In 2000–05 he served as a company commander in Gaza.[2][6] He then became responsible for analyzing military doctrines of the United States, Great Britain, France, and to some extent Germany.[2][6] He subsequently became a liaison officer between the IDF and United Nations peacekeeping forces – first in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2009–11, then in the Golan Heights (UNDOF) from 2011–13, and then as Deputy Chief Liaison Officer of the IDF Northern Command (2013–14).[2][6][5]
Conricus was the international spokesperson of the IDF in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit for four years, from 2017 to 2021.[1][3][6]
He also served as a military diplomat.[1] Conricus served for three years, from 2014–17, at the United Nations in New York City, seconded and on loan to the Office of Military Affairs of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).[5][6] He was an Assessment Officer, and during that time he learned Arabic.[1] He was the first Israeli officer to hold any position at the UN.[8] He was responsible for collecting information for UN forces deployed in war zones around the world, including in Nigeria, Somalia, Congo, and Ukraine, and assessing risks.[8]
Hours after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Conricus returned to duty as a reservist and was appointed international spokesperson for the IDF.[6] He served in that position for the following three months.[6][9] During that time, he would commonly do 30 interviews in a 24-hour period.[10] He gave interviews on, among others, BBC, CNN, Sky News, NBC, and ABC News.[11] After the October 7, 2023, attack he said: "If Hamas were to come out of their hiding places.., return our hostages — all 212 of them — and surrender unconditionally, then the war would end. If they won't, we will probably have to go in and get it done."[12]
Current career
editConricus is now a senior fellow at the think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is based in Washington, DC, in the United States.[13][1][6] He is no longer an IDF spokesperson, nor is he a government spokesperson.[1]
He also has a private practice public relations agency named "Conricus Communications." It focuses on strategic communications, public relations, crisis management, and media training.[14] He returned to Conricus Communications in December 2023.[14]
Speaking of Gaza in 2024, Conricus said: "I spent five years in Gaza before the disengagement [of Israel in 2005]. I knew we’d be back.... I was concerned we were doing it unilaterally, and we didn’t have anybody on the other side.... When you look at Gaza’s history, culture, their general disposition, and fundamental leanings, it’s very hard to imagine how Gaza could have gone anywhere other than where it is right now."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Erica Schachne and Noa Amouyal (July 8, 2024). "Jonathan Conricus: The Swedish Israeli making the case for Israel on the world stage," The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ a b c d e f Jesper Sundén (October 13, 2024). "Svensk-israel om Malmö: ”Skamligt”," Svenska Dagbladet.
- ^ a b Shanna Fuld (November 18, 2023) "How are the IDF's Anglo spokespeople managing war crisis internationally?", The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "The IDF International Spokesperson Is Concluding His Service," IDF, June 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c Felice Friedson (September 12, 2018)."An interview with the IDF's Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus," The Canadian Jewish News.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Eva Gustafsson (August 27, 2024). "Therefore, Israel's victory over Hamas is delayed," Hemmets Vän.
- ^ Benjamin Weinthal (May 11, 2024). "Biden's arms embargo on Israel 'emboldens' Hamas missile strikes against Jewish state," Fox News.
- ^ a b Itamar Eichner (March 19, 2016). "The first Israeli at the UN's Peacekeeping Department," Ynet.
- ^ Omar Abdel-Baqui and Adam Chamseddine (July 29, 2024). "On the Brink of War, Hezbollah Is Emboldened in a Crippled Lebanon," The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Yonah Jeremy Bob and David Brinn (April 23, 2024). "Putting his life on pause, Peter Lerner works to explain Israel-Hamas War to the world," The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Konrikos on the international media scene: "The standards towards Israel are almost impossible," IDSF, February 2, 2024.
- ^ Raphael Epstein (October 22, 2023). "Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus on imminent Gaza ground invasion and humanitarian situation," ABC Radio Melbourne.
- ^ Loveday Morris, Evan Hill, Samuel Granados, and Hazem Balousha (May 17, 2024). "What Israel's Netzarim Corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans," The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter (January 17, 2024). "Defending Israel On & Off the Airwaves // A conversation with Jonathan Conricus, former international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces," Ami.