Mosab Hassan Yousef, author of the book Son of Hamas and once known as the “Green Prince,” who worked undercover for the Shin Bet from 1997 to 2007, will deliver a special address.
By NOA AMOUYALUpdated: MAY 22, 2016 14:05Yaakov Katz speaking at the JPost Annual Conference(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A veritable who’s who of Israeli and American politicians will appear at The Jerusalem Post’s fifth annual conference in New York City today.World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder will preside over the conference, which will showcase experts on a spectrum of topics from global terrorism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement to the ever-changing dynamics of the Israeli economy.Given the dramatic game of musical chairs currently rocking Israel’s government, Public Security Minister of Gilad Erdan; Social Equality Minister for Gila Gamliel; Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz and former interior and education minister (and vocal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rival) Gideon Sa’ar are sure to be enlightening.Mosab Hassan Yousef, author of the book Son of Hamas and once known as the “Green Prince,” who worked undercover for the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) from 1997 to 2007, will also deliver a special address.Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the Post’s new editor-in- chief, Yaakov Katz. In a passing of the baton of sorts, Katz, who previously served as the paper’s military-affairs correspondent, will open the conference along with former editor-in-chief Steve Linde.Katz also will moderate two panels – one on Islamic terrorism, which continues to confound politicians and experts alike, and another on the challenges facing Israel’s booming energy sector.Participants in the terrorism panel will include Post senior contributing editor Caroline B. Glick; Likud MK Dr. Anat Berko; former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi; former Mossad director Efraim Halevy; and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.On the panel on the energy sector will be: Nili Shalev, economic minister to North America; Israel “Izzy” Tapoohi, president and CEO Development Corporation for Israel Bonds; Prof. Efraim Chalamish, international economic law scholar and practitioner; and Keith Elliott, Noble Energy senior vice president for the Eastern Mediterranean.Two-time Academy Award winner Michael Douglas is scheduled to speak with Linde about the importance of a more inclusive Judaism and the work he’s done with the Genesis Prize Foundation and the Jewish Funders Network.In addition to her own remarks to the conference, Glick will moderate a panel on the Jewish World’s ongoing battle against the BDS movement. That panel will feature Israel-American Council chairman Adam Milstein; Yesh Atid MK Maj.-Gen. (res.) Elazar Stern; Triguboff Foundation director Shalom Norman; Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews; and Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association.
Additionally, insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be offered by: Danny Danon, Ambassador to the United Nations; Dennis Ross, Jewish People Policy Institute co-chairman and former special assistant to President Barack Obama; Rep. Ed Royce (R-California), House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman; and Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.The Jerusalem Post 2016 Prize will be awarded to Israel’s Mobileye for its revolutionary approach to safe driving, and the The Jerusalem Post Social Affairs Prize for 2016 will be given to the organization Special in Uniform, which, with the help of the Jewish National Fund, integrates young people with autism and other disabilities into the IDF.On the lighter side, renowned sex therapist, author and TV personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer will talk about Israel and Judaism, and Israeli singer and songwriter David Broza will be on hand to entertain attendees.The conference will be streamed live on JPost.com and full coverage will appear in Monday’s and Tuesday’s papers.