Clinton due to speak
Photo: AP
Lieberman - will discuss strategic affairs
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Barak's invited too
Photo: Niv Calderon
Clinton, Barak and Lieberman talk Iran
Iranian nuclear threat and instability in Lebanon – these are only some of the subjects high-level American and Israeli officials will discuss at third annual Saban Forum in Washington
WASHINGTON: A former US president, two leading US presidential candidates, two former Israeli prime ministers and numerous other senior ranking American and Israeli officials will convene this coming Friday at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in the Brookings Institution in Washington DC for a three-day forum entitled 'America and Israel: Confronting a Middle East in Turmoil.'
The dignitaries will discuss a plethora of issues, including the situation in Lebanon and the threat of Hizbullah overthrowing the sitting government, Hamas' control of the Palestinian Authority and the continued Qassam attacks on Israel despite the ceasefire, the rising challenge of the Iranian-Syrian-Hizballah alliance, options for dealing with the threat from Iran, energy independence, democracies and the media in wartime and how Israel should deal with its neighbors.
The impressive list of participants includes: Former President William J. Clinton, Israeli Vice Premier and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, former Israeli PM Ehud Barak, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman, US the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch, Israeli Minister of Education Yuli Tamir, former Shin Bet chief and MK Ami Ayalon, Secretary of State’s Senior Adviser on Iraq David Satterfield, , former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, former Israeli National Security Adviser Giora Eiland; Director of Israeli Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin and journalists Tom Friedman, Nahum Barnea and Ted Koppel.
The forum will be closed to the media.
This will be the third annual forum held at the Saban center which is names after business mogul Haim Saban. The dialog will be mediated by former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk who was also senior director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the US National Security Council under President Clinton.
