“This is a time of great change in the Middle East and in Washington,” said Haim Saban, chairman of the Saban Forum. “Our annual US-Israeli dialogue is more important than ever."
By MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: DECEMBER 2, 2016 00:29US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) and then-foreign minister Avigdor Liberman shake hands in Washington(photo credit: AFP PHOTO)
WASHINGTON – Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and US Secretary of State John Kerry will be among the policy-makers and experts on Israel and the Middle East addressing a confab in Washington this weekend.The Brookings Institution’s annual Saban Forum, hosted by Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, has in the past provided a venue for top diplomats to appraise Israel’s challenges and outline their vision for where the Middle East is headed.Saban generously donated to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton this year. The former secretary of state chose the forum last year as the space to outline what her Israel policy would be as president.The Trump transition team will be represented at the forum by David Friedman, a top adviser on Israel to the president-elect throughout his campaign.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will also be in attendance, delivering a keynote address to the opening gala dinner.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will offer attendees a message by satellite.“This is a time of great change in the Middle East and in Washington,” said Saban. “With so much at stake, and so much in flux, our annual US-Israeli dialogue is more important than ever. I am proud to work with the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings to convene this important dialogue.”Opposition chairman Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi), Intelligence Services Minister Israel Katz (Likud) and Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni will also attend, as will Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and his American counterpart, Dan Shapiro.