Thursday, March 28th | 18 Adar II 5784

Subscribe

The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2020

In honor of The Algemeiner’s seventh annual gala, this time held virtually, we are delighted to unveil our seventh ‘J100’ list of the top one hundred individuals who have positively influenced Jewish life this past year. Before you work your way through this exciting list, we wanted to first share some of the thoughts that we discussed as we developed it. If we could group these ideas together, the first would be about creating lists, in general; then, what’s unique about lists and Judaism; some finer points differentiating our honorees from the organizations they lead; and important reflections on all those every day and anonymous-to-us heroes we also want to celebrate without ever knowing their names. And, of course, to thank everyone who helped create the list and worked hard to put together our ‘J100’ gala. 

It’s no secret that the world in general and the Jewish community in particular has seen significant and rising challenges over the past 12 months. History has shown that at times like these, as we face global turbulence and turmoil, the Jewish community can quickly find itself in a position of increased vulnerability. When there is economic uncertainty, disease and racial and class tensions the temptation to seek a scapegoat is strong. Indeed, we’ve seen a significant increase over the past year of coronavirus-related antisemitism, Jews and Israel being thrust into the center of racial grievances, and being blamed for the financial misfortune of others. 

It’s for these reasons that we found the compilation of this year’s ‘J100’ list to be a particularly inspiring exercise. Contained within the list are many individuals whose efforts have been vital to heroic life-saving initiatives, and others who have stood strong against the tide of hate and helped chart a path to a brighter Jewish future. We hope you find it as encouraging as we did.

On Lists

There are lists, and there are lists. From the Forbes 400 to the Time 100, we are witness today to a proliferation of many lists in various magazines and newspapers. The New Yorker even made a list of The Hundred Best Lists of All Time! It seems that in the feeding frenzy of our information overloaded society, categorizations and listings get our attention by presumably helping us make sense of the data flooding our psyches. Lists also carry an element of sensationalism – who made the list, who didn’t – feeding the hunger for competition – yet another staple of our superficial times. No wonder we don’t find such popularity contests waged in earlier centuries; living as desert nomads or inside of a shtetl, where everyone knew virtually no one else but their neighbors by name (for good or for bad), did not exactly lend itself to creating a top ten list of favorites. This is an exclusive product of the communications revolution and the global village it created.

Jewish Lists

Jewish sages, in particular, did not create such lists. Indeed, some actually dismissed the categorization of lists (even of the 13 Principles of Faith of Maimonides, let alone of a list of the “best” one thing or another). It begs the uneasy question of how one can even attempt to measure the value of a person? Isn’t everyone a hero in some way? On what grounds can we presume to judge who is more valuable than the next? With the ‘J100’ list we tried to create something more meaningful, a list aligned with our core mission: the 100 people who have the most positive impact on Jewish life and Israel – men and women, Jew or non-Jew, who have lifted the quality of Jewish life in the past year. Think of it this way: Without these ‘J100’ – either the individuals or the organizations they represent – Jewish life would not be at the caliber it is today. Despite the artificial, superficial, and sensational nature of any list, we sought to transform the information deluge of our times by using the list to shine a spotlight on those gems in our midst, those people who are making a real difference in others’ lives.

We also seek to inspire and motivate our young and the next generation, our future emerging leaders, in rising to the occasion and perpetuating the highest standards of our proud tradition and legacy – in serving and championing the cause of Jews and Israel. Because, as we know, when the quality of Jewish life is raised, the quality of all lives is raised. However, the most exciting part of our work in choosing the ‘J100,’ frankly, was sifting through hundreds of candidates and nominees to discover some surprising finalists. It was a joy to see the breadth of all those who merited a mention, to understand some of the great work being performed around the world on behalf of the Jewish people, and to celebrate their victories by bringing this great work to renewed public attention via this endeavor.

Individual vs. Organization

Inevitably, any list recognizing those that have positively influenced Jewish life will include the “usual suspects,” well-known leaders and officials of governments, organizations, and institutions. Like it or not, bureaucracy is part of the fabric of our society, feeding and supporting Jewish life around the globe, and it is that fabric that provides strength and cohesion to our disparate Jewish population.

Not all the names on the ‘J100’ were included for the same reason. Some are being honored for their personal contributions, others for their work at the organizations or nations they head. Some on the ‘J100’ are long established stars, others newcomers.

Like in any dynamic entity, we included both stalwart leaders with deep roots holding the foundation, while also introducing new branches that will lead us into the future.

This type of list – “The top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life” – has its inherent challenges. First, what defines “positive”? What some consider positive, others consider destructive. Jews notoriously disagree on what positive impact means. Fully cognizant of the controversy such a list could stir, we approached the creation of this list with a particular strategy, infused with a sense of humility and respect, to be as all-inclusive as possible while maintaining our integrity. This list should not be seen as an endorsement of anyone or any entity and way of thinking; rather, the people on this list are a reflection of the rich and broad spectrum of Jewish life – those who have positively contributed and helped shape the Jewish future.

We want this list to not be a definitive one, but a type of snapshot and perspective of the Jewish world today. The ‘J100’ is far from perfect – but which list of this type would not be? Rather, we want it to serve as a provocateur, challenging us all to think about what we value and consider precious; what we honor as being a positive influence on Jewish life and on Israel.

Anonymous Heroes

Jewish life, now and throughout history, is fraught with innumerable heroes – mostly unsung. A mother unceremoniously bringing up a beautiful family. A quiet nurse attending to the ill. An anonymous philanthropist sending food packages to the needy. The unobtrusive kindergarten teacher lovingly attending to and shaping young lives. Positive influences abound, yet few are called out.

Moreover, the Jewish community is decentralized. A leader in one city or town who has a major impact on their community may be completely irrelevant in another city. No list – not of 100, not of 1,000 – could capture and do justice to the countless daily acts of heroism and nobility impacting Jews and Israel.

There are innumerable rabbis, lay leaders, educators, and administrators who are beloved and are transforming their Jewish communities. As important as these individuals may be – and they certainly deserve their own list – the ‘J100’ does not include these heroes. Instead it focuses on individuals that have global and international impact, and that come from diverse groups – such as writers, teachers, government officials, and NGOs. In some ways, the ‘J100’ should be looked at not as a bunch of disjointed individuals, but as a mosaic – a confluence of many different colors and hues that create a diverse painting.

Thank You

In the spirit of The Algemeiner, we want this list to lift the quality of our discourse and standards in seeking out the best within and among us. We hope you enjoy reviewing and studying this list, and we welcome all your feedback, critiques, and suggestions to be included next year, in what has become a tradition at our annual New York gala event.

We extend our deep gratitude to our ‘J100’ honorees and special guests, to those who support this great institution, and ultimately to our readers, the Jewish people, and friends of the Jewish people whom we serve.

Disclosure: Algemeiner staff and their immediate families were disqualified for inclusion on the list. Some of the ‘J100’ finalists are friends and associates of The Algemeiner. As a media entity with many relationships, The Algemeiner inevitably has many friends and supporters; yet we didn’t feel it fair to disqualify highly qualified candidates simply due to their connection with us. Instead, fully cognizant of that reality, we placed special emphasis on impartiality and objectivity to choose only those who fit the criteria.

The Algemeiner editors

1 .

GOVERNMENT

Nechirvan Barzani

Politician

The President of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, 2020 marked the first anniversary in office for Nechirvan Barzani, a veteran fighter for Kurdish national rights who previously served as the region’s Prime Minister. Barzani’s vision is to build a peaceful, progressive, modern, and tolerant society deeply inspired by his personal values and beliefs in pluralism in political life and peaceful coexistence among all the religious and ethnic communities in the Middle East. In a year when priorities have shifted, Barzani has continued to warn of the dangers posed to the region by Islamist terrorism. Referring to Islamist atrocities carried out around the world in 2020, Barzani affirmed that these were “another reminder that the international community’s support is still needed to defeat ISIS and counter terrorism across the world.” (Photo: Ruptly / Screenshot)

GOVERNMENT

2 .

GOVERNMENT

Joe Biden

President-Elect

Joe Biden will take office in January 2021 following the most bitterly fought election in living memory. The former Senator and Vice President in the Obama administration has made it clear that his main priority is to bring the coronavirus pandemic to heel but that grave challenge is not the only one he faces. When it comes to his relations with the US Jewish community, Biden is known as a stalwart friend of the State of Israel – a country he first visited in 1972, on the eve of the Yom Kippur war. Biden’s election platform included a commitment to oppose “any effort to unfairly single out and delegitimize Israel, including at the United Nations, or through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.” He has also pledged to confront rising antisemitism in America with an approach “that takes seriously both the violence that accompanies it and the hateful and dangerous lies that underlie it.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

3 .

GOVERNMENT

Elan Carr

Attorney

Elan Carr serves as the US State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. As Special Envoy, he advises the Secretary of State and is responsible for directing US policies and projects aimed at countering antisemitism throughout the world. The son of Iraqi Jewish refugees who fled persecution in Iraq, Carr speaks both Hebrew and the Iraqi dialect of Arabic. Among Carr’s achievements in 2020 was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on combating antisemitism reached between the US and the Arab Gulf nation of Bahrain, which also reached a peace deal with Israel this year. Carr praised Bahrain for becoming the first state in the Middle East to join the United States in combating “the ancient, recurring human sickness that is antisemitism and… the first to include the delegitimization of the State of Israel in that project.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

4 .

GOVERNMENT

Lazarus Chakwera

President of Malawi

In Sept. 2020, the African nation of Malawi joined the list of countries that have relocated their embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to the capital Jerusalem. That decision was undertaken by the country’s new President, Lazarus Chakwera. Asked about objections from Arab countries to the move, a spokesperson for Chakwera – a Christian minister who entered politics seven years ago – answered that “Malawi will always pursue diplomatic relations on the basis of what is in the best interest of Malawi.” Unlike most other African countries, Malawi – which agreed to diplomatic relations with Israel in 1964 – retained bilateral ties after the 1967 war, resisting Arab entreaties to cut its links with the Jewish state. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

5 .

GOVERNMENT

Yossi Cohen

Director, Mossad

The director of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, for the last five years, Yossi Cohen was asked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July 2020 to extend his tenure in the role due to the present “security challenges facing the State of Israel.” Cohen agreed, and will begin a six-month extension in January 2021. In the interim, Cohen has been participating in the warming of relations between Israel and a growing list of Arab countries, visiting Bahrain in October for meeting with the heads of the Gulf nation’s national intelligence and strategic security bodies. In April, Cohen warned that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Iran had been much more serious than the Tehran regime was willing to admit. “The numbers the Iranians are reporting about are not true,” Cohen told a briefing. “The numbers of infected and dead I know about are much higher.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

6 .

GOVERNMENT

Yuli Edelstein

Politician

The former speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Yuli Edelstein was appointed as Israel’s Minister of Health as the coronavirus pandemic was reaching its initial peak in 2020. Explaining his approach to the pandemic, Edelstein has said that “Our goal is to enable maximum freedom with minimal danger to public health.” A former Prisoner of Zion, Edelstein was born in the Soviet Union in 1958. After being forbidden to make Aliyah to Israel in 1979, Edelstein spent three years in a forced labor camp, eventually emigrating to the Jewish state in 1987. He entered the Knesset for the first time in 1996 and has held various key roles, including as Israel’s Minister for Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

7 .

GOVERNMENT

Benny Gantz

Leader, Blue and White party

Former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz became the Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Defense in 2020 after the country held three general elections in the space of a year. Under the deal he reached with current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz is scheduled to take over from him as Prime Minister on Nov. 17, 2021 – although many seasoned Israeli pundits are expressing doubt that the transition will take place. As Minister of Defense, Gantz has restored security coordination with the Palestinian Authority, stressing that doing so was in the “common interest - to Israeli citizens, to their safety, not to mention to the interest of Palestinian residents and the Palestinian economy.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

8 .

GOVERNMENT

Yonatan Gonen

Leadership, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Israeli communications expert Yonatan Gonen serves as the head of the Arabic language new media section at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In that role, Gonen is uniquely positioned to judge the mood of the Arab and wider Muslim world towards Israel, sometimes uncovering surprising results. In June, Gonen reported that the Foreign Ministry was receiving “tens of thousands” of requests on a daily basis from Iranians seeking political asylum in Israel. Gonen explained that many Iranians “see in various publications that Israel leads in various fields of technology and is a free and democratic country.” He added: “Some are also being persecuted in Iran by the authorities. They want to get away and believe that Israel can help them.” (Photo: courtesy)

GOVERNMENT

9 .

GOVERNMENT

Abdalla Hamdok

Prime Minister of Sudan

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok made history in October 2020 when he signed a peace agreement with Israel, making him the leader of the third Arab country to announce diplomatic relations with Israel in the space of two months. Israel and Sudan have already begun economic and trade relations with a principal focus on agricultural technology. In a statement announcing the agreement, Hamdok joined US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in pledging an era of “new opportunities for the people of Sudan, Israel, the Middle East, and Africa.” Domestically, Hamdok is pursuing a progressive domestic agenda, with an emphasis on boosting the rights of women. As well as appointing four women to his cabinet, Hamdok has also repealed laws that restricted the freedom of women to work, study and dress as they choose. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

10 .

GOVERNMENT

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum

Deputy Major of Jerusalem

The Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is responsible for foreign relations, international economic development, and tourism in the administration of Israel’s capital. Hassan-Nahoum – who was born in the UK and brought up in Gibraltar – is also the co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council (UIBC), a business association established in 2020 to foster “shared opportunities, economic cooperation and business partnerships” between entrepreneurs and investors in Israel and the United Arab Emirates in the wake of the historic peace deal between the two nations this year. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

11 .

GOVERNMENT

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

King of Bahrain

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has been the King of Bahrain since 1999, steering the Gulf Arab nation into a new phase of economic and social development at a time when neighboring Iran has sowed instability throughout the Middle East. A strong advocate of regional peace and integration, Bahrain signed a historic peace agreement with the State of Israel in September 2020, paving the way for other Arab countries to follow suit. “Tolerance and co-existence define our true Bahraini identity,” King Hamad declared in a statement confirming the birth of bilateral relations with the Jewish state. “Our steps towards peace and prosperity are not directed against any entity or power, rather they are in everyone’s interest and aim for good neighborliness.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

12 .

GOVERNMENT

Aviv Kochavi

Chief of Staff, Israel Defense Forces

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi is the Chief of Staff of the IDF, a post he has held since January 2019. Prior to that appointment, Kochavi served as the IDF’s Director of Military Intelligence following periods of commanding the IDF in Gaza and on Israel’s northern border. A veteran of the 1982 Lebanon war, Kochavi stated in a May 2020 opinion piece that the central lesson of that conflict was the need “to identify the enemy’s patterns of behavior and deliver a worthy military response.” Explaining the IDF’s multi-year plan called Tnufa (“Momentum”), Kochavi described it as a comprehensive response to the range of security threats faced by Israel, “incorporating compatible methods and weapons, streamlining cooperation between the various branches, training commanders, and cultivating morale and values.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

13 .

GOVERNMENT

Jared Kushner

Senior Adviser to the President of the United States

The outgoing Trump administration leaves a Middle East dramatically transformed for the better as a result of its efforts. Much of the credit for that achievement goes to Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and husband to the President’s daughter Ivanka. Kushner has written his place in the history books as the architect of the Abraham Accords of 2020, which ushered in a new era of peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, at the same time countering Iranian expansionism in the region. “What we had through this agreement was two leaders breaking a barrier that many in this region thought would never be breakable,” Kushner reflected after the announcement of the Israel-UAE deal. He also highlighted the continuing centrality of the US to peace and economic progress across the globe: “When you're a partner with America, there's no greater partner in the world.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

14 .

GOVERNMENT

Georgette Mosbacher

US Ambassador to Poland

Appointed as US Ambassador to Poland by President Donald Trump in 2018, Georgette Mosbacher has been a consistent and brave voice against rising extremism in that country, as well as a firm backer of restitution payments to survivors of the Nazi Holocaust. In July 2020, Mosbacher spoke out forcefully when a former Polish cabinet minister unleashed a tirade of antisemitic and homophobic rhetoric in a speech that attacked the existence of private media outlets. As a result, she was vilified by the Polish far-right, who called on her to “go home!” and threw antisemitic epithets at her on social media. For her part, Mosbacher was defiant. “When I took my oath as Ambassador, I didn’t give up my ethics, values, or sense of right and wrong,” she wrote. “When I see history being distorted or interpreted for malign reasons, I speak out regardless of being Ambassador or not.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

15 .

GOVERNMENT

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from a torrid year in Israeli politics secure in his position as Prime Minister of the Jewish state. While Israelis remain divided over the legacy of their country’s longest-serving premier, Netanyahu will likely remain an influential figure on the global political stage for years to come. The first Israeli premier to be born in Israel after statehood was established, he has arguably enabled a period of growth and prosperity, ensured regional military dominance, and fostered an international coalition against Iran, among other achievements. The historic peace agreements reached in 2020 between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan have further cemented Israel’s place in the region. “The blessings of the peace we make today will be enormous,” Netanyahu declared at the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords at the White House in September. “First, because this peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states. And, ultimately, it can end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all.” (Photo: CSPAN / Screenshot)

GOVERNMENT

16 .

GOVERNMENT

Yousef Al Otaiba

United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States

Yousef Al Otaiba is one of the best-known and respected diplomats in Washington, DC. The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the US, Al Otaiba played a key role in the peace accord reached with Israel in August 2020, a move that was quickly followed by Bahrain and Sudan, with other Arab states expected to follow suit. The US-educated Al Otaiba created the basic framework with his Israeli partners that crystallized into the bilateral peace agreement with the Jewish state, the first such agreement between an Arab state and Israel in more than 25 years. Thanking US legislators for their support in remarks on the day the deal with Israel was signed, Al Otaiba promised that the UAE would work with the US Congress “as we expand cooperation with Israel, deepen our collective relationship with the US, and together work to realize the full promise of this historic initiative.” (Photo: Embassy of the UAE / Screenshot)

GOVERNMENT

17 .

GOVERNMENT

Reuven Rivlin

President of Israel

Reuven Rivlin is the 10th President of the State of Israel, a position he has held since June 2014. During 2020, Rivlin has been increasingly concerned with the coronavirus pandemic. In September, he sparked the ire of some Israeli politicians by apologizing to the Israeli public after a second lockdown was imposed ahead of the High Holidays. Israel’s “leadership didn’t do enough to be worthy of your attention,” the plain-speaking Rivlin said. “You trusted us and we let you down.” Rivlin also reflected on the price the pandemic had exacted upon Israeli society: “Our synagogues were closed during the Passover holiday, our mosques were closed during Ramadan, and up till today my heart aches when I think of the bereaved families who have not visited the graves of loved ones on their remembrance day.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

18 .

GOVERNMENT

German diplomat Katharina von Schnurbein was appointed as the first European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism in December 2015. Prior to this, she worked for five years as an advisor to EU Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso. In September 2020, von Schnurbein marked the first anniversary of the attack by a far-right gunman on Yom Kippur services at a synagogue in the German city of Halle by asserting that protecting Jews in Europe “means more than just building security.” Stated von Schnurbein: “Overall, we have to protect Jews better, including in everyday life. And that only works if we actively promote Jewish life. It’s at least as important as fighting hatred.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

19 .

GOVERNMENT

Keir Starmer

Leadership, British Labour Party

Sir Keir Starmer inherited a disaster when he became leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party in April. Having been resoundingly defeated in the 2019 general election, Labour remained mired in the antisemitism scandals that mushroomed under Starmer’s far-left predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. When an official report deemed that Labour had broken British race relations laws in its treatment of the Jewish community, Starmer declared it a “day of shame” for the party. “I made it clear the Labour Party I lead will not tolerate antisemitism, neither will it tolerate the argument that denies or minimizes antisemitism in the Labour Party on the basis that it’s exaggerated or a factional row,” Starmer declared – but the continued persistence of Corbyn’s supporters means that his battle to eradicate antisemitism from the party’s ranks is far from over. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

20 .

GOVERNMENT

Pnina Tamano-Shata

Politician

Israeli Knesset Member Pnina Tamano-Shata became the first Ethiopian-Israeli woman to win appointment to the Israeli cabinet in 2020. Born in the Ethiopian village of Wuzaba in 1981, Tamano-Shata arrived in Israel in 1984 as part of Operation Moses. Now she herself is in charge of immigrant absorption as Minister of Aliyah and Integration. “For me, this is a landmark and the closing of a circle, from that three-year-old girl who immigrated to Israel without a mother on a cross-desert foot journey; through growing up in Israel and the struggles I led and am still leading for the community, integration, the acceptance of the other, and against discrimination and racism; up to my public mission inside and outside the walls of the Knesset and today to the status of minster of aliyah and integration,” she reflected in a Hebrew-language interview following her promotion. (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

21 .

GOVERNMENT

Ritchie Torres

US Congressman, New York

Ritchie Torres is the Democratic US Representative-elect for New York's 15th congressional district, which encompasses a large part of The Bronx. A native of The Bronx himself, Torres is a gay Afro-Latino and unabashed progressive – but his unstinting support for the State of Israel has earned him the enmity of many on the left who support the anti-Zionist BDS movement. However, as a Bloomberg News profile pointed out, Torres did not pay any political price for his vocal backing of the Jewish state, as his “constituents cared far more about his plans for bringing people out of poverty and affordable housing.” When it comes to the Middle East, Torres believes fervently that the “progressive position is to promote a Jewish state and a Palestinian state, not to end the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

22 .

GOVERNMENT

Donald Trump

President of the United States

Amid the frantic political conflict that followed the November 2020 presidential election, several Israeli and Jewish leaders paused to thank outgoing President Donald Trump for his fulsome contributions to the well-being of Israel and the wider cause of peace in the Middle East. During Trump’s tenure in the White House, the US moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the capital Jerusalem, withdrew from the 2015 Iran deal and resumed tough sanctions against the Tehran regime, killed the deadly Iranian military leader Gen. Qassem Soleimani, pulled out of the anti-Israel UN Human Rights Council, and brokered historic peace deals between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan. In his tribute to Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the president had taken the US-Israeli relationship to “unprecedented heights.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

23 .

GOVERNMENT

Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces – was another critical player in the historic peace deal reached with Israel in 2020. The crown prince – known in the media as “MBZ” – is now poised to make his first official visit to Israel, having accepted an invitation from Jerusalem and having extended the same courtesy to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Hailing the crown prince’s decision to recognize and make peace with Israel through the Abraham Accords, President Trump urged him “to seize this opportunity to urge leaders of other Middle East countries to follow the same path toward advancing peace and prosperity in the region.” (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)

GOVERNMENT

Comments are closed.

Algemeiner.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.