Zionist Council of Victoria hosts Middle East Strategic Intelligence Analyst
The Zionist Council of Victoria recently hosted Avi Melamed, a world renown Middle East Strategic Analyst.
Avi is a strategic intelligence analyst and Eisenhower Institute Overseas Middle East Expert, he is also a former Israeli Senior Official on Arab Affairs and intelligence official and his vast experience includes the formation of Freejan.com – Israel speaks Arabic. Freejan.com is an internet site which presents Israel in Arabic to the Arab world and seeks to create a platform for Israeli Jews and Arabs to create a community based on mutual interests and goals.
Avi Melamed
A specialist in current affairs of the Arab and Muslim world and their impact on Israel and the region, Avi’s visit coincided with his speaking tour of Limmud Oz. He met with our security organisations CSG and JEMP and discussed the Arab awakening and its impact on Israel and the region and how this impacts on Australia.
His in depth briefing provided the community members responsible for our security with up-to-the minute information and analysis of events in the Arab and Muslim world and their current and projected impact on the local, regional and global platform.
In discussing the Arab Spring and the ramifications for the region, Avi said that in the current chaos that is reigning in the Middle East with militant groups on all sides of the country and a massive humanitarian crises brewing with refugees flooding neighbouring countries… there is only one word to describe Israel and that is a “miracle.”
“That Israeli’s manage to go about their everyday life while all this is happening around them is nothing short of a miracle.”
The Zionist Council of Victoria’s aim of connecting Victorians with Israel resulted in Avi Melamed meeting with “Bridges for Peace” . This is a Christian charitable organisation which has its headquarters in Jerusalem and has world-wide branches including Australia. The organisation works to build Christian-Jewish understanding and support for Israel. They do this through a variety of different aid projects, disseminating information about Israel and teaching Christains about the Hebraic roots of Christianity.
Avi provided the organisation with an Israel update which focussed on building and strengthening the building blocks of knowledge critical for understanding contemporary Israel and Middle East.
The evening saw him addressing community leadership groups and decision makers as well as ZCV sponsors at an evening briefing in a private home. He spoke to the group about the war in Syria and the realigning of the Middle East.
His discussion focussed on the global ramifications and how the outcome of the war will play a substantial role in the shaping of the region for decades to come. He explored the factors involved in the war, why the conflict is so significant and what are the ramifications in the region in general and on Israel in particular.
It was a jam-packed day full of informative up-to-date information, radio interviews and the opportunity to meet many of our community members.
Feedback from the sessions was positive with many attendees commenting that they now had a better knowledge and a deeper understanding of the outside forces that pose considerable risks to Israel and the rest of the region.
