September 3, 2015 — Jerusalem, Israel
A senior AJC leadership delegation just concluded a three-day visit to Israel.
The group was led by AJC President Stanley Bergman and Executive Director David Harris. Their visit was highlighted by a 90-minute meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and included sessions with, among others, Chairman of the Zionist Union and Leader of the Opposition Isaac Herzog; Chairman of Yesh Atid Yair Lapid; National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Yossi Cohen; Minister of Science, Technology, and Space Ofir Akunis; Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dore Gold; UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov; Ambassador of Cyprus Thesalia Salina Shambos; Ambassador of Jordan Walid Obeidat; and U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro.
During the visit, several timely issues were discussed, including: (i) strengthening U.S.-Israeli relations against the backdrop of the P5+1 deal with Iran; (ii) deepening the connections between Israel and American Jewry; (iii) dealing with the varied situations on Israel's immediate borders; and (iv) evaluating options to advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, as well as greater regional cooperation.
“We came to Israel to express our solidarity with the Jewish state, as it continues to face threats, large and small,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “Our visit could not have been more timely given recent events. While there are challenges aplenty facing Israel, less attention has been paid to new opportunities that have arisen for the Jewish state. Our meetings afforded us the chance both to explore those difficulties and consider the possibilities.”
The visit also included meetings with Israeli officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for, among other areas, public diplomacy; diaspora-Israel relations; combatting the movement to isolate and delegitimize the state; Africa; Asia and the Pacific; and international organizations.
The leadership delegation also included AJC Executive Council Members Richard Berkman, Chair of AJC's National Board of Governors; Matthew Bronfman, Chair of AJC Jerusalem; Henry Dubinsky, Chair of AJC's Audit Committee; Marvin Israelow, Chair of AJC's Program Coordinating Committee; and Kim Pimley, Chair of AJC's Leadership Development.
The visit was coordinated by Lt. Col. (Res.) Avital Leibovich, Director of AJC Jerusalem, who also joined the leadership delegation.
AJC was the first American Jewish organization, more than a half-century ago, to establish a permanent presence in Israel. Housed in Beit Moses, AJC Jerusalem regularly engages with Israeli government officials and society, as well as diplomatic representatives of scores of foreign countries.
