AJC Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Other Top Israelis

TEL AVIV, Israel, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC leadership delegation has just concluded a three-day diplomatic mission to Israel.

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The delegation met with, among others, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor; Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein; leader of the opposition MK Tzipi Livni; senior Foreign Ministry officials; and the Ambassadors of the United States, the European Union, Germany and Poland to Israel.

The hour-long discussion with the Prime Minister took place on July 4, a day with particular meaning for both Americans and Israelis, marking Independence Day in the U.S. and the 35th anniversary of the heroic Entebbe operation. During that operation, Yonatan Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's brother, was killed leading the rescue effort.

AJC's discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other key Israeli interlocutors centered around three primary issues: the prospect of a nuclear Iran, which remains the most pressing threat to regional stability; prospects for peace and the possibility of a unilateral Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood at the UN this fall; and recent developments in U.S.-Israel bilateral relations.

"We leave Israel once again struck by the many things that make the country the special place it is; Israel's vibrant democracy; robust civil society; dynamic and innovation-oriented economy; and pluralistic nature. Israel's age-old yearning for peace remains undiminished, though perhaps tempered today by the reality of Palestinian recalcitrance and the uncertainty of the Arab upheaval in neighboring countries. And close cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem remains the norm, as the two time-tested allies forge ever closer strategic ties and discuss how to dissuade the Palestinian Authority from its self-defeating path of unilateral actions at the UN and agreement with Hamas," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

"In our meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, he could not have been clearer in his reaffirmation of support for a two-state agreement and Israel's readiness to do its share to make it happen. He stressed the reciprocal need for the Palestinian Authority to act, in particular recognizing Israel's identity as a Jewish state and acknowledging the challenges for ensuring security and stability once an accord is reached."

The AJC group came to Israel after a visit to Amman, Jordan, and meetings with high-level government officials there. During the trip, AJC also had the privilege of meeting with Jordanian diplomatic cadets at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy for a round-table discussion.

The AJC delegation included Stanley Bergman, Chair of the Board of Governors; Allan Reich, Chair of the International Relations Commission; and ten members of the Board of Governors from across the United States. The visit was coordinated by AJC Jerusalem, directed by Ed Rettig.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee