Ariel Harmoni/Ministry of Defense
Politicians expected to comment on energy, the place of women in politics and BDS
Members of Israel’s past and present leadership, including former defense minister Avigdor Liberman, as well as a number of foreign representatives, gathered on Wednesday at the seventh annual JPost Diplomatic Conference.
The event saw high-ranking government officials and febrile members of the opposition run between the Israeli parliament, where attendance was unprecedented for a regular session, and the luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel, less than two miles away.
UN Special Coordinator to the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov also attended, apparently suggesting that Iranian powers were seeking to undermine peace talks between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
““There are forces out there that want to disrupt that agreement and push us all into the abyss of a confrontation,” he reportedly said in response to a question concerning Tehran’s influence in Gaza.
“I am hoping that together we can overcome these forces,” he added. “What I have seen is that no one wants a war in Gaza now. It is going to be damaging for everyone.”
He also said that the UN and Egypt have been working for several years to put an end to the violence on the Israeli-Gaza front, emphasizing, “You [Israel] do not have a better partner anywhere in the Arab world than Egypt.”
He did cause a stir among some audience members at the conference when he said it was damning for Israel to shoot at Palestinian children throwing stones from Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reported.
JACK GUEZ (AFP/Archives)
Meanwhile, Avigdor Liberman seemed to chastize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for speaking publicly about sensitive security matters.
“I think it’s irresponsible to discuss intelligence information with the public and it’s an irresponsible way to discuss sensitive security issues with journalists and MKs,” Liberman told the…
