The aftermath of Hurricane Ike has disrupted personal and organizational life throughout the area.  We hope any trouble you are experiencing from IKE goes away quickly and your life for you and your family returns to normalcy.  The Chapter plans to reschedule Steve Bayme's visit to Houston.

 

AJC Leaders Visit Israel for Consultations
An AJC delegation returned today from a three-day visit to Israel, where it met with senior political, diplomatic, and security officials in advance of next week's AJC Diplomatic Marathon. AJC already has confirmed private meetings with the presidents, prime ministers or foreign ministers from more than 60 countries attending the opening of the UN General Assembly. Consultations focused on Iran's nuclear program, Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Syrian talks, recent developments in Lebanon, and Israel's UN agenda.

AJC Meets Key U.S. Officials, Ambassadors
An AJC leadership delegation met in Washington with Bill Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and Elliott Abrams, Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy. Discussions addressed the Iranian nuclear program, ongoing developments involving Russia, and Israel's relations with its neighbors. AJC also met with Ambassador Yashar Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Ambassador Erlan Idrissov of Kazakhstan, and senior Israeli diplomats.

 

Durban Review Conference Preparation
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, AJC's Geneva affiliate, spoke twice before the current session of the UN Human Rights Council. He expressed concerns over the Durban Review Conference, slated for April 2009 in Geneva, and proposed a worldwide amnesty for political prisoners to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Neuer will be in Houston on December 10 for a Chapter's President's Council breakfast briefing and kick off the Chapter's Crucial Issues Series with the World Affairs Council Houston.