Israel's Future in a Changing Middle East

Hosted by: Australian Institute of International Affairs in Sydney

The event will start on: Tuesday, 05 July 2011 6:00 PM

And will end on: Tuesday, 05 July 2011 7:30 PM

At The Glover Cottages, Sydney

124 Kent Street , Sydney NSW

02 9247 8504    

Posted by: nsw   

Since the so-called Arab spring, which led to governments in Egypt and Tunisia being overturned, protests in Bahrain and Syria being violently put down, and the re-election for a third term of a democratic government in Turkey, Israel has been conspicuously silent, preferring to watch and wait developments, rather than react with any kind of rhetoric.

Jerusalem is relieved that its peace agreement with Egypt is intact, and that other relations continue at near normal levels, despite criticism of its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu by the Obama and administration for his unwillingness to put a stop to new Jewish settlements on the west bank of the river Jordan.

The peace process with the Palestinians remains stalled while Hamas continues to mount attacks against Israel, and refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Overshadowing all this is the fear of Iran establishing hegemony in the Persian Gulf once American forces complete their withdrawal from Iraq.

To discuss this we welcome for the first time to The Glover Cottages Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, who has had wide experience of the peace process. This meeting will be held under the Chatham House rule.

Ambassador Rotem’s first overseas post in Israel’s diplomatic corps came in posting in 1989, when he served as chief spokesman for Israel's Permanent Mission to the United Nations as well as for the Consulate-General of Israel in New York.

In 1995, Mr. Rotem was chosen by then foreign minister Ehud Barak to be his senior policy Advisor for the Peace Process.

After Israel's national elections in 1996, he became chief of staff to the foreign minister, serving in that capacity under David Levy and then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had later also assume the foreign affairs portfolio.

Mr Netanyahu promoted him to the rank of ambassador, and he became consul-general in Los Angeles before coming to Australia four years ago.