Saban Forum 2013 Begins, Discussing U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East

Beginning today and continuing through Sunday, December 8, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host its 10th annual Saban Forum in Washington, D.C. Over the past 10 years, the Forum has provided a platform for unparalleled dialogue between American and Israeli leaders from across the political and social spectrum. This year’s lineup will feature remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The theme for the 2013 Saban Forum is “Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East.” Undoubtedly, the hotly-debated issue of the interim nuclear deal with Iran will feature prominently in these discussions, but speakers will also address the broader array of changes and challenges confronting the Middle East today, including the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the deepening Syrian civil war and resulting humanitarian crisis. Forum speakers and participants will discuss the implications of these events on U.S. interests in the region, U.S.-Israel relations and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Each year, the Saban Forum brings together American and Israeli officials, business executives, policymakers and thought leaders from across the political and social spectrum. Past speakers have included an array of distinguished leaders, including President William J. Clinton, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, HM King Abdullah of Jordan, President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, former British Prime Minister and Middle East Envoy Tony Blair, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger.

Most of the discussions at the Saban Forum take place under the Chatham House Rule, but several sessions highlighted below will be on-the-record and webcast at brookings-edu-2023.go-vip.net/SabanForum2013. We’ll be live-tweeting these sessions from @BrookingsFP and individual accounts, and we encourage you to tune into the public sessions and join the conversation using the hashtag #Saban13. Iran@Saban will be featuring commentaries from participants in the Forum — consistent with the Chatham House format of the dialogue — throughout the course of the weekend and in the following days.

Webcast Sessions Of The 2013 Saban Forum

	Friday, December 6 at 9:00 PM EST A Conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman moderated by Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius
	Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 PM EST A Conversation with President Barack Obama moderated by Forum Chairman Haim Saban
	Saturday, December 7 at 4:00 PM EST Keynote Address by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
	Sunday, December 8 at 10:15 AM EST A Conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moderated by Charlie Rose, host, The Charlie Rose Show