In 1987, he served as the assistant to the Chairman of the Jerusalem Trade Association. From 1987 to 1989, he participated in the
Bank Hapoalim management training course. In 1989, he was admitted to the Foreign Ministry cadet course and, upon completion, joined the
Israeli Foreign Service. He served as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Israeli Embassy in
Abidjan,
Ivory Coast (1991–1993).
Switzerland Harpaz served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in
Bern,
Switzerland (1993–1997). He coordinated the efforts of the Embassy regarding the assets held by Swiss banks that belonged to Holocaust victims as well as the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the
First Zionist Congress in Basel (1997). Harpaz also coordinated the efforts of the Israeli government to obtain from the Swiss National Archive the names of Jewish refugees whose entry into the country was denied during WWII.
Sweden Harpaz served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in
Stockholm,
Sweden (1999–2003). He coordinated Prime Minister
Ehud Barak's visit to Sweden (January 2000) for the first meeting of the International Holocaust Forum. It was the first visit of an Israeli Prime Minister to Sweden in 38 years. In December 2002, as the
chargé d'
affaires of the Israeli Embassy while in Sweden, Harpaz served as the official escort at the Nobel Prize ceremony of Israeli-American Professor and Nobel Prize laureate for Economy
Daniel Kahneman. The ceremony took place in the Stockholm City Hall.
Washington, D.C. Harpaz served at the Israeli Embassy in
Washington, D.C. as the minister for
public diplomacy and was in charge of the bilateral relations between Israel and the states of
Maryland and
Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia (2005–2009). He coordinated Israel's 60th Independence Day Celebration (2008), the highlight of which was the event at Washington National Mall attended by approximately 70,000 people.
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Harpaz served as the Israeli ambassador to
Azerbaijan from 2015 to 2015. He presented his credentials to the President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev on September 5, 2012. He accompanied Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov on a visit to Israel in 2013. This was the first official visit of an Azerbaijaini foreign minister to Israel since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993. He signed an agreement in September 2013 on health cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel's International Development Cooperation Agency MASHAV. He coordinated the visit of Israel's foreign minister
Avigdor Lieberman to Baku in 2014. In media interviews, he defined Israel-Azerbaijan relations as "strategic relations", with cooperation in many areas. He coordinated the visit of Israeli defense minister
Moshe Yaalon to Azerbaijan, the first such visit ever, in September 2014. He toured the United States, accompanied by Azerbaijan's ambassador to the U.S.
Elin Suleymanov at the end of September 2014. The tour included meetings and lectures with government officials, members of Congress, organizations, media, and Jewish communities in Washington D.C.,
Philadelphia, and New York. The joint tour of the two ambassadors was coordinated by the
American Jewish Committee (AJC). He signed the visa waiver agreement for holders of official passports between the two countries in December 2014.
Ambassador to the Philippines In November 2017, Harpaz was appointed as the Israeli Ambassador to the
Philippines. He presented his credentials to the president of the Philippines,
Rodrigo Duterte, on August 31, 2018. Immediately after the credentials ceremony, he accompanied President Duterte during his September 2018 visit to Israel. It was the first visit by a sitting Filipino President to Israel. During the visit, Harpaz accompanied President Duterte in his meetings with President
Reuben Rivlin and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. In July 2019, Harpaz signed a framework agreement of cooperation between the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines and Israel's International Development Cooperation Agency,
MASHAV. On August 19, 2019, Harpaz was the keynote speaker at the annual celebration of former President
Manuel Quezon's birthday. President Quezon is known as the one who opened the doors of the Philippines to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Approximately 1,300 Jews took refuge in the Philippines during World War II. During the war, President Quezon opened his house in the city of Marikina to the Jewish refugees who came to the Philippines. In recognition of this, Harpaz, together with
Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, planted six trees at the site of President Quezon's home on September 25, 2019, to commemorate the six million Holocaust victims. On June 2, 2020, Harpaz delivered an Israeli donation of medical supplies to the Philippine government to help combat the coronavirus. An official turnover ceremony was held at the Philippine Air Force headquarters attended by Defense Secretary
Delfin Lorenzana.
Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Harpaz has served as
Israel’s ambassador to
South Korea since September 2024. He presented his credentials to the president of Korea
Yoon Suk Yeol on October 28, 2024. He visited the National 18.5 Cemetery in Buk-gu, Gwangju on November 28, 2024 to lay a wreath in honor of the Korean citizens that lost there life in the struggle for democracy. Harpaz was followed and attacked by
anti-Israel protestors on April 23, 2025 while having dinner with his family at a restaurant in
Seoul. The Israeli embassy to South Korea condemned the attack in a statement, and thanked the many Koreans who expressed support. He attended and spoke at the opening of South Korea’s first dedicated Holocaust Museum in Paju on May 19, 2025. The event, led by the Korea Israel Bible Institute (KIBI), marked a significant milestone in Holocaust education and remembrance in the region. He emphasized in his speech that Holocaust remembrance isn’t optional, but a moral imperative. “Never again” must transition from slogan to actionable promise. In addition he warned against denial and distortion, stating that confronting these threats is essential to preserving justice, memory, and human dignity == Awards and recognition ==