Israel Track-II Dialogue Connects Experts, Policymakers

The Belfer Center hosted the sixth annual U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue in November in partnership with Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). The dialogue was co-chaired by Professor Nicholas Burns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Robert Danin, Senior Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project, and INSS’s Executive Director, Major General (ret.) Amos Yadlin.

For two days, high-level U.S. and Israeli delegations comprised of journalists, politicians, academics, and policy experts met to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the United States, Israel, and their bilateral relationship. The delegations debated the future of the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Trump administration’s policy toward Iran and the Middle East, what lies ahead in Syria and Iraq, the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the Israeli- Palestinian divide, and U.S.-Israel relations. Overviews of the U.S. and Israeli domestic political landscapes were provided by Washington Post columnist Dan Balz and Knesset Member Yair Lapid. The dialogue opened with a public event at which Knesset Member Tzipi Livni, Belfer Center Director Ash Carter, and Brig. Gen. Udi Dekel offered their perspectives on the “U.S. and Israel Facing a Middle East in Transition.”

At this year’s conference, the Center was fortunate to have two special sessions: former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the North Korean threat and the refugee crisis, and HRH Prince Turki al Faisal spoke about the dramatic changes in Saudi Arabia amid the sweeping campaign of arrests of princes and current and former high-level government officials.

“This was an important meeting between Americans and Israelis,” said Burns. “Both our countries face extraordinary challenges in an unstable and violent Middle East.”