Israel's new ambassador to the United Kingdom, London-born Daniel Taub, will officially begin his tenure before Rosh Hashanah, at the end of September.

Ambassador Taub, 49, was originally due to arrive at his post on August 28, but may only arrive for a "private visit" on that date.

Due to the relatively short notice of his appointment, the Agrément - the formal diplomatic notification that the new ambassador is acceptable to the United Kingdom - has not yet been issued, though it is expected to be forthcoming over the next few weeks.

Another factor delaying the arrival of the new ambassador, his wife
Zehava and six children, is that they will be celebrating the barmitzvah of one of their sons in mid-September in Jerusalem.

Nevertheless, a senior source at the Foreign Ministry said this week that while the date has not yet been
finalised, the new ambassador will
certainly be officially installed by Rosh Hashanah.

This will be Mr Taub's first senior diplomatic posting abroad. His present position is the deputy legal counsel to the Foreign Ministry and he has been intimately involved in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He has also written a TV soap opera about Orthodox Jews.