A special evening with Ehud Barak, Israel's most influential soldier-statesmen and Prime Minister.
As commander of special forces, Barak led his men in storming a hijacked Sabena airliner in Tel Aviv. On another occasion, disguised as a woman, he led a raid in Beirut to kill terrorists who had murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Barak played a key role in planning the famous Entebbe raid in Uganda, rescuing passengers of a hijacked airliner held hostage in the airport.
In the summer of 2000, the most decorated soldier in Israel's history-Barak-set himself a challenge as daunting as any he had faced on the battlefield: to secure a final peace with the Palestinians. He would propose two states for two peoples, with a shared capital in Jerusalem. He knew the risks of failure. But he also knew the risks of not trying: letting slip perhaps the last chance for a generation to secure genuine peace.
It was a moment of truth.
It was one of many in a life intertwined, from the start, with that of Israel. Born on a kibbutz, Barak became commander of Israel's elite special forces, then army Chief of Staff, and ultimately, Prime Minister.
He will tell the unvarnished story of his-and his country's-first seven decades; of its major successes, but also its setbacks and misjudgments. He will offer candid assessments of his fellow Israeli politicians, of the American administrations with which he worked, and of himself. Drawing on his experiences as a military and political leader, he sounds a powerful warning: Israel is at a crossroads, threatened by events beyond its borders and by divisions within. He says the two-state solution is more urgent than ever, not just for the Palestinians, but for the existential interests of Israel itself. Only by rediscovering the twin pillars on which it was built-military strength and moral purpose-can Israel thrive.
Each paid attendee will receive Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s memoir, My Country, My Life.
