Shalom Haver

November 15, 2009 - 12:51 PM by David · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Life, Politics

Bill Clinton speaking at the Saban Forum (Photo: AP)

Driving down Jerusalem’s King David Street last night on my way to band practice, I passed an array of police vehicles and official-looking swanky cars ensconced in front of the David Citadel Hotel. Now, which foreign leaders are here now, I thought?

Then I remembered that the Sixth annual Saban Forum was taking place from Saturday to Monday in Jerusalem and Ramallah, and among the guests were former US president Bill Clinton and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During the two-day forum, dialogue between senior officials from both countries on US-Israel relations and Middle East strategic issues such as the Iranian threat, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, are being held. On Sunday, the delegates to the conference were travelling to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad.

Founded in 2004, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy has been working to promote independent policy dialogue between Israel and the US. Founder Haim Saban called the timing of the event “a critical moment in US-Israel relations.”

And even though neither Bubba nor Ahhnold were out strolling on the Mamilla mall, their presence during their visit is being felt.

Clinton, speaking to the conference on Saturday, urged Israel and the Palestinians to end our conflict, saying we cannot escape our common future.

“We are either going to hurt each other or we are going to help each other. Divorce is not an option,” AP reported Clinton saying.

“In the last 14 years, not a single week has gone by that I did not think of Yitzhak Rabin and miss him terribly,” he said. “Nor has a single week gone by in which I have not reaffirmed my conviction that had he not lost his life on that terrible November night, within three years we would have had a comprehensive agreement for peace in the Middle East.”

Clinton has remained hugely popular in Israel, where his “Shalom haver,” eulogy at Rabin’s funeral forever struck a chord in Israelis’ hearts. Despite some who believe Clinton’s hastiness and recklessness at achieving an Israeli-Palestinian accord led to the Second Intifada, Clinton’s still a star here. Welcome friends, and block the traffic as much as you want.

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