America's Pro-Israel Lobby Holds Its Annual Policy Conference in Washington D.C.
U.S. Newswire
Date: 03-01-06
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: Josh Block, 202-997-4614; or Jennifer Cannata, 202-420-9946; both of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
News Advisory:
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual Policy Conference is the most important event of the year for America's pro-Israel community. This year's AIPAC Policy Conference will be the largest ever, with more than 5,000 people participating and 4,500 going to Capitol Hill on the final day of the conference to lobby Congress in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
The Policy Conference events, scheduled for Sunday, March 5 to Tuesday, March 7, will include major speeches, panels and forums covering a wide range of issues concerning the U.S.-Israel relationship, Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the future of the Middle East.
Portions of the conference are open to members of the press with federal press credentials who pre-register by Friday, March 3rd, by emailing Josh Block at jblock@aipac.org or Jennifer Cannata at Jcannata@aipac.org .
Featured speakers include: Vice President Richard Cheney, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Gillerman, Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record) (R-Maine), Sen. Evan Bayh (news, bio, voting record) (D-Ind.) House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Israeli National Security Advisor Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Giora Eiland, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Daniel Ayalon, former Sen. John Edwards and many others of note. The three leading candidates for Prime Minister will also address the conference via satellite, including Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Israeli Prime Minister and Likud Party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, and Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz.
"At a time of unprecedented challenge and opportunity for America's ally in the Middle East, the deep and abiding support for Israel in all quarters of American society is truly exemplified by this year's conference," said AIPAC President Bernice Manocherian. "Support for Israel is not a Democratic value or a Republican value, it is an American value," she said.
This year, the number of Policy Conference delegates is up by more than 300 percent from just five years ago, and AIPAC has experienced similar growth nationwide since September 2000, with membership up more than 60 percent, to over 100,000 across the country. The breadth and depth of America's universal, bi- partisan support for a strong US-Israel relationship and AIPAC's commitment to working with leaders of all political stripes is reflected in this year's AIPAC Policy Conference.
Consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill, AIPAC, America's pro- Israel lobby, is a nonpartisan American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the United States. For more than 50 years, AIPAC has been working with Congress to build a strong, vibrant relationship between the United States and Israel. Its more than 100,000 activists throughout the United States work to improve and strengthen that relationship by supporting U.S.-Israel military, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation.
------ MEDIA SCHEDULE
(The following sessions and speeches are open to the media)
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
OPENING LUNCHEON PLENARY -- 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Hall D&E)
"Global Challenge: How the International Community Can Stop Iran"
-- Ambassador John R. Bolton, United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations
-- Dr. David Kay, former IAEA/UNSCOM Chief Nuclear Weapons Inspector
-- Bernice Manocherian, president, AIPAC
Special Address: The Honorable Ehud Olmert (via satellite), acting Prime Minister, Israel
---
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
(The following run simultaneous in various rooms. Please choose one.)
Town Hall Meeting -- "Behind the Scenes: A Conversation With One of Israel's Top Negotiators" (Room 143B)
-- Dr. Shavit Matias, Deputy Attorney General, Israel
---
Policy Briefing -- "Nuclear Countdown: What Can Be Done to Stop Iran?" (Ballroom A)
-- David Albright, founder and president, Institute for Science and International Security
-- Brad Gordon, director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Panel Discussion -- "Securing the Homeland: How Israel and America Are Working Together to Keep Us Safe" (Room 207A)
-- Randy Beardsworth, assistant secretary for Strategic Plans, Department of Homeland Security
-- The Honorable Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), ranking member, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology, United States House of Representatives
-- The Honorable David Reichert (via satellite) (R-Wash.), chairman, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology, United States House of Representatives
-- David Cohen, deputy director of Policy and Government Affairs for Homeland Security, AIPAC
Policy Briefing -- "Shifting Picture: Israeli Politics Today" (Room 202B)
-- Shmuel Rosner, chief U.S. Correspondent, "Ha'aretz"
-- Dr. Yossi Shain, professor of Political Science and Head of the Hartog School of Government, Tel Aviv University
---
Policy Briefing -- "Uncertain Returns: How Should States Deal With Terrorist Groups That Hold Elective Office? (Room 206)
-- Dr. Daniel Byman, director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies and the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
-- Avi Isacharoff, Arab Affairs correspondent, Israel Broadcast Association Radio
-- David Gillette, deputy director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "Zionism's Next Chapter: How Developing the Negev and Galilee Will Strengthen Israel" (Room 201)
-- Ron Dermer, Minister of Economic Affairs, Embassy of Israel
-- Daniel Glicksberg, deputy director, The Ayalim Association
-- Ester Kurz, director for Legislative Strategy and Policy, AIPAC
---
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
(The following run simultaneous in various rooms. Please choose one.)
Policy Briefing -- "Averting Disaster: What Options Exist for Stopping Iran's Nuclear Program?" (Ballroom A)
-- Dr. Patrick Clawson, deputy director for research, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
-- Brad Gordon, director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "Dangerous Dependence: How Reliance on Foreign Energy Sources Affects Our National Security" (Room 207A)
-- Jason Grumet, executive director, The National Commission on Energy Policy
-- Dr. Gal Luft, co-director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
-- Dr. Marvin Feuer, director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Town Hall Meeting -- "Defending Israel in Today's World: A Conversation With One of Israel's Top Negotiators and Strategic Thinkers" (Room 102AB)
-- Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Amos Gilad, director of Policy and Political Military Bureau, Ministry of Defense, Israel
---
Policy Briefing -- "Driving Damascus: What Impact is Global Pressure Having on Syria?" (Room 202A)
-- The Honorable Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), member, International Relations Committee and co-author, Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, United States House of Representatives
-- Brig. Gen. Michael Herzog, visiting fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
-- Dr. Paul Jureidini, Middle East Expert and Independent Consultant
---
Town Hall Meeting -- "Israeli Politics: A Survey of the New Landscape" (Room 207B)
-- Yaron Deckel, Washington bureau chief, Israel Broadcasting Authority
-- David Horovitz, editor-in-chief, "The Jerusalem Post"
-- Tom Sawicki, director of programming, Jerusalem Office, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "Peace Prognosis: What's Next for Israel and the Palestinians?" (Room 140AB)
-- Avi Isacharoff, Arab Affairs correspondent, Israel Broadcast Association Radio
-- Dr. Barry Rubin, director, Global Research in International Affairs Center
-- David Gillette, deputy director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "Recipe for Success: What Will It Take to Bring Democracy to the Arab World? (Room 206)
-- Husain Haqqani, visiting scholar, Carnegie Endowment For International Peace
-- Dan Senor, former spokesman, Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority
-- Nina Shea, director, Center for Religious Freedom
---
Town Hall Meeting -- "Strategic Assessment: A Conversation With the IDF's Former Chief of Staff" (Ballroom C)
-- Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, visiting military fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Former Chief of Staff, Israel Defense Forces
---
Policy Briefing -- "UNRWA Examined: Has the U.N. Entity Created for the Palestinians Outlived Its Mandate?" (Room 201)
-- Anne Bayefsky, senior fellow, The Hudson Institute; Professor, Touro Law School
-- The Honorable Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), member, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, United States House of Representatives
-- Ester Kurz, director for Legislative Strategy and Policy, AIPAC
---
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
(The following run simultaneous in various rooms. Please pick one.)
Policy Briefing -- "Changing Map of the Middle East: What Does It Mean?" (Room 202A)
-- Dr. Robert Satloff, executive director, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
-- Dr. Kenneth Stein, director, Institute for the Study of Modern Israel, Emory University
---
Policy Briefing -- "Common Ground: U.S.-Israeli Strategic Cooperation" (Room 201)
-- Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, Defense and Armed Forces Attache, Embassy of Israel
-- Ambassador Jon Glassman, vice president, International Business Development, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems International
-- Jeff Kuhnreich, deputy director of Policy and Government Affairs for Defense and Strategic Issues, AIPAC
---
Town Hall Meeting -- "A Conversation With One of Israel's Leading Strategic Thinkers" (Ballroom A)
-- Ambassador Dore Gold, president, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
---
Policy Briefing -- "Global Impact: How America and Israel Are Changing Our World For the Better" (Room 206)
-- Jonathan Medved, managing partner, Israel Seed Partners
-- Larry Weinberg, executive vice president, Israel 21C
---
Panel Discussion -- "Growing Partnership: The Ties Between India, Israel and America" (Room 140AB)
-- Ambassador Raminder Jassal, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of India; Former Indian Ambassador to Israel
-- Jeffrey Colman, deputy director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "Israel on Campus: Will New Challenges Overtake Existing Opportunities?" (Room 202B)
-- Danielle Josephs, AIPAC Campus Activist, Rutgers University
-- Albert Thompson, AIPAC Campus Activist, Oral Roberts University
-- Wayne Firestone, executive vice president (United States), Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
-- Jonathan Kessler, Leadership Development Director, AIPAC
---
Policy Briefing -- "The Peace Process: What Happens Now?" (Ballroom C)
-- Gidi Grinstein, founder and president, The Re'ut Institute
-- David Makovsky, director, Project on the Middle East Peace Process, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
---
Policy Briefing -- "Strategic Shift: What Would a Nuclear Iran Mean for the World?" (Room 207A)
-- Dr. Shai Feldman, director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of Politics, Brandeis University
-- Dr. Marvin Feuer, director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
DINNER PLENARY
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
(Hall D&E)
"Securing the Future: How to Defeat Terrorism and Achieve Middle East Stability"
-- Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Giora Eiland, national security advisor to the Prime Minister, Israel
-- The Honorable Jane Harman (D-Calif.), ranking member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, United States House of Representatives
-- William Kristol, editor, The Weekly Standard
-- Richard Perle, resident fellow, The American Enterprise Institute
---
"The Year Ahead: AIPAC's Agenda," Howard Kohr, executive director, AIPAC
------
MONDAY, MARCH 6
MORNING PLENARY
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
(Hall D&E)
"State of the Union: The Future of the U.S.-Israel Alliance"
-- The Honorable John Boehner (R-Ohio), majority leader, United States House of Representatives
-- The Honorable John Edwards, former United States senator
Special Address:
Amir Peretz (via satellite), chairman, Labor Party, Israel
---
LUNCHEON PLENARY
12:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
(Ballroom A)
"Diplomatic Defense: Fighting Efforts to Delegitimize Israel"
-- Ambassador Daniel Gillerman, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations
-- Professor Stephen Berk, Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, Union College
---
AIPAC GALA BANQUET
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
(Hall D&E)
"Celebrating the U.S.-Israel Relationship"
-- The Honorable Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), member, Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate
-- The Honorable Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
-- The Honorable Daniel Ayalon (via satellite), ambassador of Israel to the United States
------
TUESDAY, MARCH 7
CLOSING PLENARY
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
(Hall D&E)
"America and Israel: The View From Capitol Hill"
-- The Honorable Richard B. Cheney, vice president of the United States of America
-- The Honorable Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), majority whip, United States House of Representatives
-- The Honorable Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Democratic Whip, United States House of Representatives
Special Address: Benjamin Netanyahu (via satellite), chairman, Likud Party, Israel
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2006 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Source
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.