I think this is at least the third or fourth time I have said this, but AIPAC Policy Conference was amazing. I am not even sure exactly how to describe it - something to the effect of total immersion in pro-Israel policy.

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Highlights:

Policy Briefing - How Israel Makes Its Case to the World
This was the first “breakout session” I attended on Sunday afternoon following the opening plenary. It was very interesting to hear Col. (Res.) Miri Eisin, Israeli Foreign Press and Public Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, and David Horovitz, Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post, discuss how the media reports on Israel and whether it projects an accurate image of the Jewish state.
Eisin and Horovitz both emphasized that although pro-Israel Americans often notice anti-Israel bias in our media, the level to which anti-Israel bias has permeated the European media makes American media look like pro-Israel propaganda. They discussed extensively the difficulty that the Israeli government has in presenting their views to the foreign press during the war with Hezbollah last summer. The media was simply more interested in the missiles going out of Israel than the thousands of rockets coming in from Lebanon.
I actually thought the most interesting part of the briefing was during the question and answer session when someone brought up the Palestinian strategy of using “stringers” - people to meet foreign reporters at the airport and take them into homes and neighborhoods, and basically propagandize them from the moment they step foot in Israel until the moment they leave. This person asked Eisin why Israel doesn’t have a similar strategy. I loved Eisin’s response. She basically said that Israel is a democracy that believes in the freedom and fairness of the press. Israel does not believe in bribing reporters. Rather, Israel provides as much information as reporters desire and let them present the news from there. Spot on.

Pastor John Hagee
Perhaps the most motivational speaker of the entire event, Hagee definitely brought the house down. He gave a strong speech about the rising Christian support for Israel and their dedication to the Jewish state and the Jewish people. I was amazed at the number of standing ovations Hagee received throughout his speech - I would say somewhere between 10 and 20 easily. Now, to be clear, I disagree with certain major aspects of Hagee’s theology (i.e. his belief in a Dual Covenant - which is brilliantly refuted at Lamb and Lion Ministries), but as far as I know, his politics are spot on - especially when it comes to supporting Israel.

Dr. Michael Oren
Oren’s speech was as educational and interesting as Hagee’s was motivational. Oren is a senior fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. I cannot even begin to recap his presentation because it was so incredible and informational. After hearing Oren speak, I added his book “Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to Present” to my must read list and I would suggest that anyone interested in Middle Eastern politics do the same.

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Wow. I have been going at this for a while, mostly because I am reading through all my conference materials again and reanalyzing a lot of the presentations. This will definitely have to be continued later. I am only up to Sunday night and the conference lasted until Tuesday!