Lieberman. Dubbed influential
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Agassi. Clean energy revolutionary
Photo: Larry Lettera/ Camera 1
Lieberman on Time's top 100 list
List of world's most influential people of 2009 includes foreign minister and Israeli high-tech leader Shai Agassi
WASHINGTON – Time Magazine published its list of the world's 100 most influential people in 2009 on Thursday, which includes two Israelis this year.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman appears in the "Leaders and Revolutionaries" category and high-tech leader Shai Agassi has been named in the "Scientists and Thinkers" category.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appeared on the list in 2008. She was the only Israeli politician to make the cut that year.
The article on Lieberman in Time was written by historian Benny Morris. He writes: "Though a question mark hangs over Lieberman's prominence in Israel's decision-making (he is under investigation for corruption), he will be one of the most vigorous advocates of a pre-emptive Israeli strike to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities should Western diplomacy fail to curb the Iranian project."
Shai Agassi, formerly a senior manager at business-software giant SAP, was offered the post of CEO but declined in order to embark on a clean energy enterprise focusing on electric cars, called Better Place.
The piece on Agassi says he has raised more than $300 million "in one of the largest start-up financings in history and partnering with utilities and governments to install the Better Place infrastructure in Israel, Denmark, Australia, the San Francisco Bay area and elsewhere."
Others named by Time include US President Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, John McCain's former running mate and Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
