22 | DECEMBER 31 • 2020

I

n the spring of 2018,
David Fischer and
John Rakolta Jr. were
presidential nominees,
awaiting Congressional
approval before assuming
their posts as U.S.
ambassadors, respectively,
to Morocco and the United
Arab Emirates.
Neither of the two
financial backers of Donald
Trump’s presidential
campaign, both of whom
are Oakland County
businessmen and longtime
GOP partisans, could
foresee how relatively short
their diplomatic postings
would be — due to the
many months of partisan
bickering that delayed their
confirmation by the Senate,
capped by Trump’s electoral
defeat.
But what their tenures
lacked in duration, they
made up for in significance.
Neither ambassador had
reason to anticipate the
remarkable events that
would unfold on their
watch: the diplomatic
breakthrough and
astonishing, unexpected
official warming of
relations between Israel
and some Arab nations,
brokered by the U.S. Both
ambassadors served as
go-betweens in the delicate
negotiations leading to the
diplomatic breakthrough.
Under the auspices
of President Trump, the
Abraham Accords in
September normalized
relations between Israel and
the UAE and Bahrain; they
were followed shortly by
Sudan’s recognition of Israel.
The Kingdom of Morocco
agreed two months later to

open diplomatic relations
with the Jewish state toward
establishing full recognition.
Some experts predict that
Saudi Arabia may be next.
“From Morocco’s historical
tradition of protecting its
Jewish minority,” Fischer said
on Dec. 14, “the signing of
the Marrakech Declaration
to yesterday’s agreement —

[King Mohamed VI] sets an
example to the region and
the world.” Simultaneously,
Trump signed a proclamation
recognizing Morocco’s claim
over Western Sahara, where
dissidents have campaigned
to break away from the
kingdom.
“We didn’t come here
expecting to participate in

a peace process,” Fischer,
74, who arrived in Morocco
in January of this year,
said in an interview. “We
weren’t anticipating COVID
either. This is where the
skills you’ve learned from
a lifetime in business and
how to respond to surprises
come in handy.” Fischer owns
the Suburban Collection
of automotive dealerships,
located mainly in Southeast
Michigan.
In early March, a
delegation of about 40
touring congregants and
clergy from Temple Israel
of West Bloomfield found
themselves nearly stranded
in Morocco as worries
over COVID mounted.
Ambassador Fischer, who is
not Jewish, and the embassy
staff were able to facilitate
their return home just as air
travel was shutting down.

‘STIMULATING
ASSIGNMENT’
John Rakolta Jr., 73,
attended Brother Rice High
School in Birmingham and
graduated from Marquette
University in Milwaukee.
Until his nomination, he
served as CEO of Walbridge,
a construction company
started by his father and
based in Detroit.
As a young man struck
by Israel’s lightning victory
in the Six-Day War, Rakolta
wondered why Middle East
peace between Israel and
its Arab neighbors proved
elusive. Later on, as he
learned more about festering
grievances, it appeared
unreasonable to him that
“the Palestinians and the
Israelis couldn’t just sit down
and do what’s best for their

Two local businessmen, serving as
diplomats in Arab nations, play role
in Middle East peace accords.

DORON LEVIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Abraham
Ambassadors

ERETZ

U.S. Ambassador
to UAE John
Rakolta Jr.

U.S. Ambassador
to Morocco
David Fischer and
his wife, Jennifer

PHOTOS COURTESY STATE DEPT.