Jpost Political Analyst Speaks for Laniado
River Investment Group and partners Jacob Lyons and Stephen Benson hosted Gil Hoffman, Chief Political Analyst for the Jerusalem Post to speak for a select group of guests on the topic of "How Obama's Presidency will Affect Israel" in aid of Laniado.
Mr Hoffman, a native of Chicago, spoke about how perception has changed over the months and the trust Israel will place in President-Elect Obama as the leader of Israel's strongest international ally.
He compared and contrasted the four international elections including those of Israelis, Americans, Palestinians and Iranians and confidently fielded difficult questions ranging from Russia's development and involvement in Iran's oil refinement interests, the ongoing support and criticisms of Israel's PR and the growing concern of Iran's nuclear capabilities.
"Many experts have been saying that when Obama takes over, he will be too busy with Iraq and the credit crunch to deal with Israel. I think that's nonsense," Gil said. "The president of the United States will be working very closely with Israel's leaders from day one in handling the challenges Israel is facing from Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. Most importantly, he will be leading the international effort to prevent Iran's nuclearlization. The respect for Obama internationally, as opposed to that of his predecessor, will consequently give Israel a big boost."
Labelled the "most optimistic man in Israel" by the Israeli Media, Mr Hoffman highlighted the larger picture of what must be achieved for a peaceful era in the region and the day-to-day achievements toward peace in institutions like Laniado Hospital. He emphasised that peace is certainly achieveable if we only look at the individuals who work in such cross ethnic and life saving work by the doctors and nurses at Laniado, who remained solely focused on the sanctity of every life.
On a personal note, Mr Hoffman described his father's experience in the late 60's as a young man growing up in the coastal town of Netanya, Israel, who had been called to work in laying the foundations of a building project that the city claimed was doomed to fail. 40 years later, Laniado Hospital remains a testament to the belief that despite all challenges, anything can be achieved.
Click below to view Gil Hoffman in July speaking about Barack Obama and Israel:
