Israel’s Barak to speak Oct. 30 at IU Bloomington
Published October 13, 2006
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who led his country from 1999-2001, will speak at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, as a Union Board-sponsored lecture.
The lecture is free and open to the public, but general admission tickets will be required to attend the lecture.
There will be a two-ticket limit per person. Tickets will be available to students with a valid IU Bloomington ID on Monday, Oct. 16. Faculty, staff and general public tickets will be available on Thursday, Oct. 19. Tickets can be picked up at the IU Auditorium box office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.). For questions about tickets, call 812-855-1103.
During his tenure as Israel’s 10th prime minister, Barak led the country out of prolonged recession and into an economic boom, but the core of the Barak government’s efforts was devoted to the peace process.
In May 2000, Barak ordered the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from South Lebanon, ending 18 years of Israel’s presence there. He led far-reaching efforts to negotiate peace agreements—first with Syria and later with the Palestinian authority—with the active participation of U.S. President Bill Clinton and his administration.
Additionally, he served as chief of the general staff of the IDF, where he was involved in the negotiation and implementation of the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan—an especially meaningful event for Barak in light of his warm relationship with Jordan’s King Hussein. He also served his country as minister of the interior, minister of foreign affairs and minister of defense.
