Tony Abbott (AU)

Tony was elected Prime Minister by the Australian people on September 7, 2013 and served for two years.

In his time as PM, the carbon tax and mining tax were repealed, free-trade agreements were finalised with China, Japan and Korea; the people smuggling trade from Indonesia to Australia was halted; Australia became the second largest military contributor to the US-led campaign against Islamic State in Iraq; the biggest federally-funded infrastructure program in Australian history commenced; and Australia hosted the G20 meeting of global leaders in Brisbane in November 2014.

In 2014, and again in 2015, he spent a week running the government from a remote indigenous community.

As opposition leader at the 2010 election, he reduced a first-term Labor government to minority status before comprehensively winning the 2013 election.

Between 1996 and 2007, he was successively parliamentary secretary, minister, cabinet minister, and leader of the House of Representatives in the Howard government. As health minister, he expanded Medicare to include dentists, psychologists and other health professionals and resolved the medical indemnity crisis. As workplace relations minister, he boosted construction industry productivity through the establishment of a royal commission against union lawlessness. And as employment minister, he developed private-sector job placement services and work-for-the-dole for long-term unemployed people.

Tony served as the member for Warringah in the Australian parliament between 1994 and this year. As the local MP, he was instrumental in the creation of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust to preserve the natural and built heritage of his electorate and elsewhere.

Before entering parliament, he was a journalist with The Australian, a senior adviser to opposition leader John Hewson, and director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. He has degrees in economics and law from Sydney University and in politics and philosophy from Oxford which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

He is the author of three books: The Minimal Monarchy (1995), How to Win the Constitutional War (1997), and Battlelines (2009).

He is a Member of the Australian War Memorial Council, and a Director of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation.

Since 1998, he has convened the Pollie Pedal annual charity bike ride which has raised almost $7 million for organisations such as Soldier On, Carers Australia, and other charities. He still does surf patrols with the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club and serves as a Deputy Captain with the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade. He was appointed by the UK Government as an Advisor to the Board of Trade in 2020.

He is married to Margaret and they are the parents of three daughters – Louise, Frances and Bridget.

Dr. Sultan Mohammed Al-Nuaimi (UAE)

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Mohammed Al-Nuaimi holds the position of Director General at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. He is a lecturer at various UAE colleges, including the National Defense College and the UAE Joint Command and Staff College. He has delivered several specialized lectures in countries including the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

His Excellency is also a researcher in political affairs, an expert in Iranian affairs, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award, and has participated in preparing curricula for the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Dr. Sultan Al-Nuaimi received a bachelor’s degree in Persian Language and Literature from Ain Shams University, Egypt, where he was also awarded his master’s and doctoral degrees. His master’s degree thesis was titled ‘Political Currents in Iran from 1979 to 2000’, while his doctoral degree thesis was titled ‘Iranian Political Thought: An Analytical Study in Light of Persian Sources’.

Dr. Sultan Al-Nuaimi has participated in several symposia and conferences in the UAE and abroad, where he delivered research papers. He has also published articles in a number of Arab newspapers, such as Al-Ittihad and Asharq Al-Awsat.

Dr. Sultan has written several political books, including Zayed: Identity of the People and Nation; Iranian Political Thought: Origins, Sources and Impact; and, Iranian Presidential Elections: Effects and Results… 2013 as an Example. He is also interested in literature and has published a short story collection titled Seven Minutes in Solitude and a novel, Today.

Hend Al Otaiba (UAE)

H.E. Hend Manea Saeed Al Otaiba

Director of Strategic Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

H.E. Hend Al Otaiba leads the UAE Foreign Ministry’s (MoFAIC) Strategic Communications Department, reporting directly to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. She is responsible for representing the country’s foreign policies, serving as the principal point of contact for international media, and overseeing the communications efforts of the UAE’s diplomatic missions.

Al Otaiba joined MoFAIC in April 2017 as an advisor to the Foreign Minister. She was appointed to establish and head the new department in 2019.

Previously, Al Otaiba served as Director of Communications at Abu Dhabi Media. In that role, she developed and supervised the company’s corporate communications and public affairs functions across 27 different media brands and business units. She also launched and led high-profile collaborative communications initiatives across the Government of Abu Dhabi.

Earlier in her career, Al Otaiba managed communications for cultural programs at the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. During her tenure there, she played a leading role in promoting Abu Dhabi’s cultural institutions and positioning the Emirate as a world-class cultural hub.

Al Otaiba received her Master’s degrees from the Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and the UAE National Defense College.

Lord Ian Austin (UK)

Lord Austin is the British trade envoy to Israel and a member of the House of Lords. He served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and in the government of Gordon Brown. Ian is one of the most outspoken voices for Israel and against antisemitism in Parliament.

He is a Non-affiliated Life peer who was been a member of the House of Lords since 14 September 2020.

Ian resigned from the Labour party in February 2019, blaming its leader Jeremy Corbyn for “creating a culture of extremism and intolerance” and a failure to tackle antisemitism within the party. “I grew up listening to my dad, who was a refugee from the Holocaust, teaching me about the evils of hatred and prejudice,” he said. “One of the main reasons I joined the Labour Party more than 35 years ago was to fight racism and I could never have believed I would be leaving the Labour party because of racism too.”

He was appointed the prime ministerial trade envoy to Israel in July 2019, tasked with helping to grow trade between the UK and the Jewish state. Commenting on his appointment at the time, Ian said he was looking forward to “working with the Department for Trade and the brilliant team at our embassy in Israel who are working so hard to help British companies win business in Israel and strengthen the trading relationship between the two countries”

Ian is the founding chairman of the cross-party Mainstream, the campaign against extremism, designed to encourage a return to respectable and responsible politics, and to banish extremism from British politics once and for all.

In November 2019, Ian announced he would not be standing in the 2019 general election and instead urged voters to support Boris Johnson to stop Jeremy Corbyn, who he described “as completely unfit to lead our country”. He outlined how he had “joined the Labour party as a teenager. I worked for the Labour party. In my 30s I was a government adviser, in my 40s I was an MP and a minister. So it’s really come to something when I tell decent. traditional, patriotic Labour voters that they should be voting for Boris Johnson at this election.”

Ian was raised in Dudley before graduating from Essex University with a degree in Government and Politics. He started his career as a sports journalist before becoming a local councillor. He became press officer for the West Midlands Labour Party and then was the Deputy Director of Communications for the Scottish Labour Party, before becoming a political advisor to Gordon Brown in 1999.

Ian was first elected to his home seat of Dudley North in 2005 and became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2007. In opposition, Ian was the Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government; Culture, Media, and Sport; and Work and Pensions.

In parliament, Ian has led the campaign in support of people-to-people projects in Israel and Palestine. He has been a long-standing advocate of these groups that are vital in laying the foundations for a lasting peace. Ian is also one of the leading voices in parliament for Holocaust education and Holocaust memorial. He chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Holocaust Memorial and recently led a session in the House of Commons chamber on Holocaust Memorial Day 2019.

Ian was until recently a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, a position he held since September 2017, and has previously been a member of the Home Affairs and Education select committees. He is also a member of the parliamentary Panel of Chairs, responsible for chairing Public Bill Committees and Westminster Hall debates.

In addition to foreign affairs, Ian takes a particular interest in education, regional economic development and housing issues.

Nahum Barnea (IL)

Nahum Barnea is perhaps Israel’s most prominent journalist, has served in the IDF and has a BA in history and political science from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

He journalism career started on a student newspaper and for 15 years from 1967 he worked for the Davar, becoming the paper’s correspondent in Washington.

He has also written for Ha’Ayin HaShevi’it and he founded and edited Koteret Rashit, a weekly newspaper.

Since 1989, Barnea has been a staff writer for Yedioth Ahronoth. Barnea was awarded the Sokolov Prize for journalism in 1981.

In a survey in 1998, and in 2007 he won the Israel Prize in the sphere of communications.

In February 1996, his son Yonatan was killed along with 44 others in by Hamas in the Jaffa Road bus bombings.

Yaniv Cohen (IL)

Adv. Yaniv Cohen, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy, IDC Herzliya

Prior to joining the Abba Eban Institute, Yaniv lived in New York City and served as the Head of SVP Development of the America-Israel Friendship League – a New York-based, pro-Israel, non-profit organization led by Esq. Kenneth J. Bialkin. Between 2009 and 2015, Yaniv worked as a corporate M&A attorney with the Tel-Aviv leading law firm of Naschitz, Brandes, Amir and Co., where he progressed from intern to senior associate.

Yaniv, an IDF Major (res.), is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Global Business Leaders Program (2020), he holds an M.B.A. (International Program), LL.B. Law and B.A. in Governance, Diplomacy and Strategy (Magna Cum Laude, specialized in Counter-Terrorism), obtained from IDC Herzliya.

He also serves as a board member of two startups (one social and one business-oriented).

Stephen Conroy (AU)

Profile coming soon

Stephen Crabb (UK)

Stephen Crabb is a Welsh Conservative and since 2005 has served as the Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire.

Since January last year he has served as the chairman of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.

He has served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously a government whip, a junior minister for Wales and the Secretary of State for Wales.

He has degrees from Bristol University (BSc) and London Business School (MBA).

Albert Dadon

Albert is a musician, entrepreneur, and chairman and founder of the International Institute for Strategic Leadership Dialogue.

He is the founder and executive chairman of Ubertas Group, a prominent property development company of medium and high-density projects in residential apartments and hotels.

He supports numerous philanthropic initiatives and works for the community in a range of activities covering international affairs and cultural events.

In 2008, he was awarded an Order of Australia for services to the arts, particularly through the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, to the community through philanthropic support for cultural and charitable organisations, and to business. He founded the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange in 2002, an organisation launched through a joint communiqué between the Australian and Israeli Governments (the only such joint communiqué to date). The organisation was launched simultaneously by the then respective Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Alexander Downer and Benjamin Netanyahu.

He then launched the Australia Israel UK Leadership Dialogue to promotes trilateral relations between Australia, Israel and the United Kingdom. It evolved from the first forum that took place in Israel in June, 2009, under the leadership of then Deputy Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and five Dialogues took place. This year it is reorganised and expanded into the International Institute of Strategic Leadership Dialogue.

Mr Dadon is also an active performing jazz musician and has released a dozen albums since 1990. Last year he was awarded the Chevalier of

Michael Danby (AU)

Member of Parliament

The Hon. Michael Danby is a seven-term MP in the Labor Party, the opposition in the Australian Federal Parliament. He was first elected as member for Melbourne Ports in 1998. Since his election to federal parliament his main areas of interest have been foreign affairs, defence, national security, immigration, electoral matters, human rights and the environment. Michael is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Henry Jackson Society (London) and NGO Monitor (Jerusalem). He recently gave a major paper in the Japanese Diet to “China Initiatives” on the growth of Beijing’s military “hard power”. In London last month he appeared on a Henry Jackson Society panel focusing on the integration of Beijing “Sharp Power” with its new assertive military stance. In 2016 he addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, criticising it for concentrating on the Israel-Palestinian conflict to the exclusion if vital human rights violations. In the Parliament Michael served as a one of two opposition whips (2001-2007); Parliamentary Secretary to the Opposition Leader; Parliamentary Secretary for the Arts (Assistant minister in the Gillard government); was a member of the Parliamentary Electoral Matters Committee and became Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing committee on Electoral Matters (2006); Chair of the Joint-Standing Committee on Migration (2007-2010); and Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. He is presently deputy chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties and deputy chair of both the Australia/Tibet Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Australia/USA Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Danny Danon (IL)

Ambassador Danny Danon was Israel’s 17^th Permanent Representative to the United Nations and is currently the Chairman of World Likud.

Prior to assuming his role as UN ambassador, Danon served in the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th Knessets. Danon served as Deputy Minister of Defense and as Israel’s Minister of Science and Technology, as well as serving as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, chairman of several committees including the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs and the IDF Widows and Orphans Caucus and was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense, Economic Affairs, and Constitution, Law and Justice Committees.

Prior to serving in the Knesset, Danon was a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Chair of World Betar, and member of the Executive Board of the World Zionist Organization.

Danon holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Florida International University, for which he earned Magna Cum Laude Honors. In 2018, he received an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University.

He is married to Talie Danon. They have three children, Aviad, Hila, and Shira.

Dani Dayan (IL)

Amb. Dani Dayan served as Consul General of Israel in New York, accredited to 5 States from 2016 till 2020.

Previously he was Chairman of the YESHA Council for 6 years. An hi-tech entrepreneur, he holds an M.Sc. in Finance and a B.Sc. in Economics and Computer Science.

Avi Dichter (IL)

Member of the Knesset

Mr. Avi Dicter is a member of the Knesset from the Likud party. He is currently the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. MK Dicter is former Minister of Public Security, Minister of Home Front Defense and former Director of Shin Bet – the Israel Security Agency.

Additionally, and not less importantly for Mr. Dicter, as the son of Holocaust survivors, he took a volunteer position as Chairman of the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel between 2013-2015.

Born in 1952 in Israel, Mr. Dicter served in the Israel Defense Forces elite commando unit known as Sayeret Matkal. Upon finishing his military service in 1974, he joined the Shin Bet where he advanced up the ranks from air marshal to Director of the Agency. He held this position from 2000-2005, a period of significant Palestinian terrorist activity which included the Al-Aqsa Intifada or Second Intifada. Mr. Dicter is credited with reforming the Shin Bet to effectively deal with this challenge, leading to a dramatic reduction in the number of terrorist attacks and to a restoration of public morale and safety.

Before reaching the top post at Shin-Bet, initially as an appointee of Prime Minister Ehud Barak and then, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, he served as director of the Southern District, including Gaza, Director of the Security and Protection Division – a position he took on after the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin – and as Deputy Director of the Agency.

As Minister of Public Security Mr. Dicter built Israel’s Witness Protection Program, and formed a national crime-fighting unit – Lahav 433 – modeled after the FBI. Additionally, he succeeded in passing the Communications Data Law and at the same time implementing the electronic gathering of fast, accurate and actionable intelligence. This led to the jailing of most of the heads of the largest crime organizations.

During his term as Minister of Public Security, he also introduced and signed cooperation agreements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with Canada’s Ministry of Public Safety, and with countries in the European Union.

During last few years Avi has been promoting the basic law: “Israel as the National State of the Jewish People”.

MK Avi Dicter holds a BA in Social Sciences from Bar-Ilan University, and an Executive MBA from Tel Aviv University. He also served as a research fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. He speaks Hebrew, Arabic and English fluently. He is married to Ilana Dicter, and has three children and seven grandchildren.

Mary Easson (AU)

Chief Executive

Mary Easson has been involved as co-chair of the Australian Israel Leadership Dialogue for 10 years. She is a former Federal Member of the Australian Parliament, serving in the Keating Labor Government until 1996. Mary has served on the board of Australia’s largest insurance company, chairing its risk management and audit committee. Through her business, Probity International, she has advised listed and unlisted international and Australian companies. She graduated with a Masters of Philosophy from the School of Business at the University of NSW. She was chair of the advisory board of the Institute for Research into Retirement Policy and Management, the Sydney Business School.

She is author of Keating’s & Kelty’s Super Legacy: The Birth and Relentless Threats to the Australian System of Superannuation (Connor Court 2017).

Michael Easson (AU)

Michael Easson is executive chair of EG Funds Management, with offices in Sydney, Australia, and Austin, Texas, and co-founder and executive director of the building technology company Willow Inc., with offices in Sydney, New York, London and Tel Aviv. He is the first independent chair of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia. After serving in several significant positions in the Australian trade union movement, for the last 25 years Michael has worked in business, including serving on boards in many fields including insurance, infrastructure, construction, sport, and the arts. He has a long standing interest in and has written articles on the Middle East and Australian foreign policy. He has a BA (Hons.) in politics from the University of NSW (UNSW); a MSc from Campion Hall, the University of Oxford; a PhD in History from the Australia Defence Academy, UNSW; and a PhD in transp

Zvi Eckstein (IL)

Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel; Dean, Tiomkin School of Economics & Head of the Aaron Economic Policy Institute, IDC Herzliya

Professor Zvi Eckstein holds a BA in Economics from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota. He is currently serving as Dean of the Tiomkin School of Economics at IDC Herzliya. He is also the Head of the Aaron Economic Policy Institute at IDC and Judith C. and William G. Bollinger visiting professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He previously served as Deputy Governor Bank of Israel and he is emeritus professor of Economics at Tel Aviv University.

Professor Eckstein is a Fellow at Econometric Society and gave the Walras-Bowley lecture at the Econometric society and served as editor of the European Economic Review. He was a lecturer in leading U.S. universities, including Yale, Carnegie – Mellon, Boston University and the University of Minnesota. Prof. Eckstein has won many prestigious academic and professional awards, published in leading economic journals, books by academic publishers and was a member of several professional committees on behalf of various government agencies.

Dame Louise Ellman (UK)

Dame Louise Ellman served as the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside from 1997 to 2019.

Louise is a former Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel. She is a vociferous opponent of antisemitism, particularly the rise of it within the Labour party, and was one of Israel’s biggest friends in Parliament.

In Parliament, Louise chaired the Parliamentary Transport Committee from 2008 until 2017, having served as a member of it since 2002.

In October 2019, Louise resigned from the Labour party saying that she “can no longer advocate voting Labour when it risks Corbyn becoming PM”. Louise had been a member of the party for 55 years.

In her resignation statement, Louise said that “under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, antisemitism has become mainstream in the Labour party. Jewish members have been bullied, abused and driven out. Antisemites have felt comfortable and vile conspiracy theories have been propagated. A party that permits anti-Jewish racism to flourish cannot be called anti-racist.”

She graduated from the University of Hull with a BA in Sociology and History before being awarded an MPhil from the University of York. She was a lecturer for the Open University and the Labour leader of Lancashire County Council before her election to Parliament.

In December 2018, Louise was made by a Dame Commander of the British Empire as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her parliamentary and political service.

Louise is also the long-standing president of the Jewish Labour Movement, the membership organisation of Labour supporting members of the Jewish Community.

Tobias Ellwood (UK)

Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East
Chair of the Defence Select Committee

Tobias Ellwood has been the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East since being elected in the 2005 General Election. He retained his seat in the 2019 General Election with a majority of 8,808.

Tobias is the Chair of the Defence Select Committee, after being elected to the position in January 2020. He previously served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence from June 2017 to July 2019.

In July 2014, Tobias was appointed as Minister for the Middle East and Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In his role as Minister, serving until June 2017, Tobias’s responsibilities include the Middle East, Africa, counter terrorism, countering violent extremism, consular policy, and illegal wildlife trade.

He has visited Israel on numerous occasions as Middle East Minister, and has spoken at many CFI events.

Tobias was Parliamentary Adviser to former Prime Minister David Cameron for the 2014 NATO Summit and a member of the Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Assembly 2014.

Shortly after being first elected to Parliament in 2005, he was appointed Opposition Whip. In July 2007, he was promoted to the post of Shadow Minister for Culture Media and Sport where he was responsible for a portfolio including tourism, gambling and licensing. After the May 2010 General Election, Tobias was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Defence Secretary, Rt. Hon Liam Fox MP. He was appointed to similar positions for the Minister for Europe, Rt Hon David Lidington MP, in October 2011, and the Health Secretary, Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP, in October 2013.

Tobias was in the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996, and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia. He left the Army at the rank of Captain and is a current Army Reservist. In September 2018, Ellwood announced that he had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a reservist in the 77th Brigade.

Before his parliamentary career, Tobias was a senior business development manager with the London Stock Exchange for two years, and then with Allen and Overy in a senior role.

Henry Ergas (AU)

Economist, columnist

After studying economics, Henry worked at the OECD in Paris, where he was responsible for structural adjustment issues and counselor for microeconomic policies in the economics department.

He has written on a broad range of topics, including innovation, labour markets, regulation, tax and health policies, and taught at a number of universities, including France’s École nationale de la statistique et de l’administration économique, the Kennedy School of Government and (most recently) the University of Wollongong, as well as being a columnist for The Australian. Additionally, he has been a member of and chaired a number of government inquiries, covering intellectual property law, telecommunications regulation, export infrastructure and defence. His most recent publications include work on the history of ideas, public economics and Australian economic history. He was made an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2016.

Sen. David Fawcett (AU)

David Julian Fawcett (BSc, MBA, MAICD, QTP, psc) served in the Australian Defence Force for more than 22 years. An Army pilot, he flew helicopters and fixed wing aircraft and was the senior flying instructor at the School of Army Aviation in Queensland.

Graduating as an experimental test pilot from the Empire Test Pilots’ School (UK), he finished his full time career in Defence as the Commanding Officer of the RAAF Aircraft Research and Development Unit.

Elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Wakefield (South Australia) in 2004, he served in the Parliament until 2007. David continued to fly as a test pilot and ran a small business working in the Defence and aviation sectors before being elected to the Senate in 2010, 2016 and again this year.

With tertiary qualifications in science and business administration, he is known for his evidence- based approach to policy development and oversight with a focus on outcomes that are in the national interest.

David is a strong advocate for reform and investment that lead to a more effective and efficient national defence capability. This work has led to reform of the governance underpinning Defence and a sovereign defence industry being formally recognised as one of the fundamental inputs to defence capability. His widely respected policy understanding has led to a number of appointments, including as chair of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

He was appointed the Assistant Minister for Defence in during the 45th Parliament.

David’s experience in aviation has helped to facilitate change in Australia’s aviation policy and approach to aviation safety regulation. As chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services in the 44th Parliament, he led an inquiry into the educational and professional standards of the financial advice industry. This body of work has been a catalyst for significant legislative and industry-led reforms in the finance sector.

David has been an active member of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel since his election in 2004 and was chair of the group from 2014 to 2018.

Having lived in Asia, the UK and across Australia, David is proud to call South Australia home. He is a keen sailor and is married to Lorna with two adult daughters.

Mitch Fifield (AU)

Ambassador Mitchell Peter Fifield is the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. He is the former Minister for the Arts under the Malcolm Turnbull Government,  he served as a Senator for Victoria from 2004 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party.

Dr. Liam Fox (UK)

The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP has been Member of Parliament for North Somerset since 1992.  In John Major’s Government he served as a Minister at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and as Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of the Treasury).  He had previously served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Howard, then Home Secretary.

Between 1997 and 2010, he held several roles on the Conservative Party Opposition Front Bench such as Constitutional Affairs Spokesman, Shadow Health Secretary, Conservative Party Chairman, Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Defence Secretary.

In May 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him Secretary of State for Defence.  In 2013, he published ‘Rising Tides’ a book analysing crucial world issues with Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, Malcolm Rifkind and Donald Rumsfeld.

Between July 2016 and July 2019, he served in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government as Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade.  As International Trade Secretary he was tasked with creating the UK’s first Independent Trade Policy for forty years post-Brexit.  During his time in post he strongly argued for global trade liberalisation, championed free trade and supported a rules-based system with WTO reform.

Before entering politics, Dr Fox worked as an NHS doctor and then as a family GP.  He is also a former Civilian Army Medical Officer and Divisional Surgeon with St John Ambulance.  In 2012, he founded the military charity ‘Give Us Time’.

He was born in Scotland and attended St Bride’s High School, the biggest comprehensive state school in Europe, before studying medicine at the University of Glasgow Medical School.

Boaz Ganor (IL)

Founder and executive director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism

Professor Boaz Ganor is Ronald Lauder Chair for Counter-Terrorism and dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel. He serves as the founding president of the International Academic Counter-Terrorism Community, an international association of academic institutions, experts, and researchers in fields related to the study of terrorism and counter- terrorism. Boaz previously held positions at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, the Hoover Institution (Koret Distinguished Visiting Fellow), the Monterey Institute of International Studies, MIPT (The National Memorial for the Prevention of Terrorism), Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University. He was also a member of the international advisory team of the Manhattan Institute to the New York Police Department.

He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, The Republic of Singapore. He is also a co-founder of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania, Israel’s Interdisciplinary Centre, London’s King’s College and and the Regional Center on Conflict Prevention in Jordan. Since 2014, Ron has been a member of the executive committee of the academic advisory to the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy.

He has given briefings and/or testimonies to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, the Australian Parliament, the US Congress, the US Army, the FBI, the US Department of Homeland Security, as well as numerous intelligence, security and police services throughout the world. In 2001, Ron was appointed as a member of the advisory committee of the Israel National Security Council on Counter-Terrorism, and he has previously served as a member of the Israeli delegation to the Trilateral (American-Palestinian-Israeli) Committee for Monitoring Incitement to Violence and Terror. He also advised the Israeli delegation for peace negotiations with Jordan. In 1995, he was a consultant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his book Fighting Terrorism – How democracies can defeat domestic and international terrorism.

Ron has published numerous articles on terrorism and counter-terrorism. His book The Counter-Terrorism Puzzle – A Guide for Decision Makers (Transaction Publishers, 2005), is used as a text book in universities worldwide and his upcoming book, Global Alert: Modern terrorism rationality and the challenge to the democratic world will be published by Columbia University Press. He is also the editor of Countering Suicide Terrorism (2001) and Post-Modern Terrorism (2006). He a frequent media and television commentator and has appeared on the BBC, CNN, CBS, ABC, and in The New York Times, the Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and many other Israeli and international publications.

Mike Gapes (UK)

Mike Gapes served as the MP for Ilford South from April 1992 until November 2019 when Parliament was dissolved for the 2019 general election. He was a Labour Friends of Israel Parliamentary Supporter.

In February 2019, Mike left the Labour party over Corbyn’s failures on antisemitism and Brexit. In his resignation letter, he said “I am sickened that Labour is now perceived by many as a racist, anti-Semitic party”. He also accused Corbyn “and those around him” of taking the “wrong side on so many international issues from Russia, to Syria, to Venezuela.”

He held the position of Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee from July 2005 to April 2010. He had previously served as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 1992 to 1997, and the Defence Committee from 1999-2001 and 2003 to 2005.

Mike was Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Northern Ireland Office from 1997 to 1999 and Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Home Office from 2001 to 2002. He was Chair of the Board of Governors of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy from 2002 to 2005.

He was a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is a former Vice-Chair and Treasurer of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Before his election to Parliament, Mike worked at Labour Party Headquarters for 15 years including serving from 1988 to 1992 as International Secretary of the Labour Party, and prior to that as a Policy Research Officer and as the National Student Organiser of the Labour Party. Mike has also worked in the National Health Service, in Adult Education and as a Voluntary Service Overseas teacher in Swaziland, Southern Africa.

Maj. Gen. Amos Gilead

Executive Director, Institute for Policy & Strategy (UPS) & Chairman of the Annual Herzliya Conference Series, IDC Herzliya

General Amos Gilead is the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at IDC Herzliya and is the Chairman of the Institute’s Annual Herzliya Conference Series. Concurrently, General Gilead teaches security and intelligence studies at IDC Herzliya’s Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy.

Prior to assuming his current position in February 2017, General Gilead led a distinguished career for more than three decades in the IDF and in the Israeli Defense Establishment, his last position being Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Ministry of Defense. In that position, which he held for more than 13 years, General Gilead managed Israel’s international defense and political-military relations and played a key role in developing Israel’s defense relations with key Sunni-Arab nations.

General Gilead dedicated most of his military career to the Military Intelligence Corps. As Chief of the Intelligence Research and Analysis Division, General Gilead was responsible for producing the national intelligence assessment and national strategic (political and military) production and analysis. Prior to this, General Gilead also served as the Spokesperson of IDF and as the Military Secretary (Aide de Camp) to Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Yitzhak Rabin.

Achieving the rank of Major General in 2001, General Gilead was appointed Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). In that position he held through 2003, General Gilead was responsible for the overall relations with the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority. In 2006, he was reassigned to this position in addition to his position in the Ministry of Defense.

General Gilead participated in several rounds of the peace process and negotiations with the Palestinians, including as a senior member of the Israeli delegation to the IsraeliJordanian/Palestinian peace talks following the Madrid Peace Conference. General Gilead was a special envoy on the Israeli MIA soldiers to PLO Chairman Arafat. In 2008, General Gilead headed the Israeli team of the military affairs working group in the negotiations following the Annapolis Peace Conference.

General Gilead earned his Master’s degree in National Security Studies from the University of Haifa and the National Security College. He is the recipient of the U.S. Legion of Merit and of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director’s Award.

Matthew Guy (AU)

Matthew Guy is the former Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party and former Victorian Minister for Planning, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship.

During his period as Planning Minister, Matthew initiated and launched the Plan Melbourne urban planning strategy which is the guiding urban planning framework for Australia’s second largest and fastest growing city. He similarly launched Victorian Regional Growth Plans which have begun a long process of decentralising and regionalising the state of Victoria’s heavily Melbourne centric population base.

After the Liberal National Coalition parties defeat at the 2014 elections Matthew was elected Leader of the Liberal National Coalition and served in this role until the Coalition’s defeat at the 2018 elections.

Matthew represents the eastern suburban Melbourne constituency of Bulleen and has been a member of the Victorian Parliament since 2006. He is married with three young sons.

Yossi Klein Halevi (IL)

Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and a Non-Resident Fellow of the TRENDS think tank in Abu Dhabi.

He co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), which teaches emerging young Muslim American leaders about Judaism, Jewish identity and Israel. Over a hundred Muslim leaders have participated in the unique program.

Halevi’s 2013 book, “Like Dreamers,” won the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Book of the Year Award. His latest book, “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,” is a New York Times bestseller.

He writes for leading op-ed pages in North America, including the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He is a former contributing editor to the New Republic.

He is frequently quoted on Israeli, Middle Eastern and Jewish affairs in leading media around the world, and is one of the best-known lecturers on Israeli issues in the American Jewish community and on North American campuses.

He is the recipient of the 2019 “Figure of Reconciliation” Award of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews.

Born in Brooklyn, he received his BA in Jewish studies from Brooklyn College, and his MS in journalism from Northwestern University.

He moved to Israel in 1982 and lives in Jerusalem with wife, Sarah, who helps direct a center for Jewish meditation. They have three children.

Isaac “Buji” Herzog (IL)

Profile coming soon

Gal Hirsch (IL)

Brigadier-General  (Res)

Gal Hirsch is one of the most experienced in the IDF in the areas of counter terrorism, counter insurgency and guerilla warfare.

He spearheaded Israel’s fight against terror for 25 years in all fronts as a commander of several elite units and as a field officer. He is a decorated soldier and his overt activities are well known and highly acclaimed in the security circles in Israel and its allies.

From 2012 to 2015 Mr Hirsch was deputy commander (Active reserve) IDF’S Depth Command. Before that he commanded the 91st Division, responsible for Israel’s northern border and defending the country against terror attacks from there.

Between 2003 and 2005 he commanded the IDF’s Officer Academy responsible for foundations for the future junior leaders of Israel in the IDF and as civilians

Before that he was Chief of Operations at Central Command and responsible for all IDF’s anti-terror activities in the Central Command

• Chief planner and responsible for the execution of “Defence Shield” operation (April 2002).
• Developing national security infrastructure (intelligence and defence) to combat terror, including the planning and building of the security fence to stop suicide

For the two years up to 2001, Mr Hirsch commanded a regional, multi-forces (Benjamin) brigade during the period of peace activities with the Palestinians (the “Oslo Accord”) and subsequent transition to defending against its terror attacks

Before that he was Chief of Operations of Central Combat Regional Division (G-3) and Commander of the Air Force (“Kingfisher”-”Shaldag”) special forces.

He was badly injured in combat in 1997, but returned to service after a year in hospital and complicated recovery procedures.

Mr Hirsch has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Mid-Eastern studies (graduating with honours), along with an MBA from Bar Ilan University and has many publications to his credit.

He was born in 1964, and is married with three children.

Paul Kelly (AU)

Profile coming soon

Sen. Kimberley Kitching (AU)

Chosen by the Parliament of Victoria in 2016 to represent that State in the Senate.

Committee service

• Senate Select: Exposure Draft of the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill from 1.12.2016 to 15.2.2017; Strengthening Multiculturalism from 23.3.2017 to 17.8.2017; Obesity Epidemic in Australia from 10.5.2018 to 5.12.2018; Foreign Interference through Social Media from 5.12.2019.
• Senate Legislative and General Purpose Standing: Education and Employment: Legislation from 8.11.2016 to 11.2016; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: References from 8.11.2016 (Chair from 3.7.2019); Finance and Public Administration: Legislation from 8.11.2016; Education and Employment: References from 8.11.2016 to 22.11.2016; Finance and Public Administration: References from 8.11.2016; Legal and Constitutional Affairs: References from 22.6.2017 to 1.7.2019; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: Legislation from 15.12.2017 to 15.12.2017 (Substitute member from 15.12.2017 to 15.12.2017); Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade: Legislation from 2.7.2019 (Deputy Chair from 3.7.2019).
• Joint Standing: Treaties from 11.2016 to 1.7.2019; Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade from 15.2.2018.
• Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability from 6.2019.
• Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate from 6.2019.

Party positions

• Member of the Australian Labor Party Legal Affairs Policy Committee,
• Delegate to the Australian Labor Party State Conference,
• Member of the Australian Labor Party Administrative Committee,
• Delegate to the Australian Labor Party Melbourne Federal Electorate Council,
• Delegate to the Australian Labor Party National Conference,

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BA (University of Queensland).
• LLB (University of Queensland).
• Manager, private Information Technology and Human Resources
• Senior Advisor, Treasurer of Victoria and Minister for Industry, Trade, Major Projects and Information Technology (Vic).
• General Manager, Health Workers Union

Peter Khalil (AU)

Profile coming soon

John Lee (AU)

Dr John Lee is a senior fellow and adjunct professor at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.

From 2016-2018, he was senior adviser to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop. In this role, he served as the principal adviser on Asia and for economic, strategic and political affairs in the Indo-Pacific region.

John was also appointed the Foreign Minister’s lead adviser on the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, the first comprehensive foreign affairs blueprint for Australia since 2003 and written to guide Australia’s external engagement for the next 10 years and beyond.

He is one of the foremost experts on the Chinese political-economy and on strategic and economic affairs pertaining to the Indo-Pacific.

His articles have been published in leading policy and academic journals in the United States, Asia and Australia and his first book was entitled Will China Fail? – published 2007 and updated and published again in 2009.

His opinions are published frequently by The Australian and has been published in more than 50 major newspapers and current affairs magazines in the United States, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

He received his Masters and Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford and his Bachelor of Laws and Arts (1st Class – Philosophy) degrees from the University of New South Wales.

Dr Lee is based in Sydney, Australia.

Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman (IL)

Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security

Dr. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years. He also served for eight years as director of the Israel and Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. He teaches in the Middle East studies program at Shalem College in Jerusalem, and in post-graduate programs at Tel Aviv University and the National Defense College. He is an expert on Israel’s foreign relations, and on the Middle East. A third-generation Sabra, he holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and a mid-career MPA from Harvard University.

Itamar Marcus (IL)

Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch is one of the foremost authorities on Palestinian ideology and policy. Marcus has published hundreds of reports and articles on Palestinian society, education, and media exposing PA hate and terror promotion in education, sports, culture and other frameworks the PA controls. PMW’s work has changed the way the world sees the Palestinian Authority.

Marcus has made numerous presentations to legislators, governments, and other decision-makers. His book Deception, co-authored with Nan Jacques Zilberdik, was acclaimed by the founder of Human Rights Watch, Robert Bernstein, as “one of the most important books you handle in your lives.”

Marcus was appointed by the Israeli Government to represent Israel in negotiations on incitement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1999. He has received awards from ZOA, Israel Media Watch, and EMET, and was recognized as being among the world’s “top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life or the State of Israel,” by The Algemeiner newspaper.

Richard Marles (AU)

Richard Marles was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Corio in November 2007.

Richard was born in 1967, raised in Geelong, and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He has a LLB (Hons) and BSc from Melbourne University.

He began his career with legal firm Slater and Gordon. In 1998, he became federal assistant secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union where he was responsible for bargaining with national transport companies and managing the union’s activities in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

In 2000, he became assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and ran the Working Hours Case, which gave workers the right, for the first time, to refuse unreasonable amounts of overtime. He was a member of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and led the ACTU’s work on OHS. He also led an innovative program of co-operation between the Australian and Papua New Guinea union movements.

He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Trade, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and today is deputy leader of the Opposition and shadow minister for Defence.

Steve McCabe (UK)

Steve McCabe is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel since February 2020.

Previously he was as an Adviser for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. He’s a former social worker.

During his parliamentary career he has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Charles Clarke during his spells as Education Secretary and Home Secretary. He also served as a Government Whip from 2006-2010 and was the Lord Commissioner who signed the orders to purchase Northern Rock.

Since the 2010 election he has served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and Labour’s Parliamentary Committee. From 2013-2015 Steve served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Families.

Since the 2015 election, Steve has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee which he joined because of his view that we need new models of welfare if we are to preserve the essence of the Welfare State.

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Steve McCabe (UK)

Steve McCabe is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel since February 2020.

Previously he was as an Adviser for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. He’s a former social worker.

During his parliamentary career he has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Charles Clarke during his spells as Education Secretary and Home Secretary. He also served as a Government Whip from 2006-2010 and was the Lord Commissioner who signed the orders to purchase Northern Rock.

Since the 2010 election he has served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and Labour’s Parliamentary Committee. From 2013-2015 Steve served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Families.

Since the 2015 election, Steve has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee which he joined because of his view that we need new models of welfare if we are to preserve the essence of the Welfare State.

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Richard Marles (AU)

Richard Marles was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Corio in November 2007.

Richard was born in 1967, raised in Geelong, and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He has a LLB (Hons) and BSc from Melbourne University.

He began his career with legal firm Slater and Gordon. In 1998, he became federal assistant secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union where he was responsible for bargaining with national transport companies and managing the union’s activities in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

In 2000, he became assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and ran the Working Hours Case, which gave workers the right, for the first time, to refuse unreasonable amounts of overtime. He was a member of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and led the ACTU’s work on OHS. He also led an innovative program of co-operation between the Australian and Papua New Guinea union movements.

He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Trade, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and today is deputy leader of the Opposition and shadow minister for Defence.

Steve McCabe (UK)

Steve McCabe is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel since February 2020.

Previously he was as an Adviser for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. He’s a former social worker.

During his parliamentary career he has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Charles Clarke during his spells as Education Secretary and Home Secretary. He also served as a Government Whip from 2006-2010 and was the Lord Commissioner who signed the orders to purchase Northern Rock.

Since the 2010 election he has served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and Labour’s Parliamentary Committee. From 2013-2015 Steve served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Families.

Since the 2015 election, Steve has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee which he joined because of his view that we need new models of welfare if we are to preserve the essence of the Welfare State.

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Itamar Marcus (IL)

Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch is one of the foremost authorities on Palestinian ideology and policy. Marcus has published hundreds of reports and articles on Palestinian society, education, and media exposing PA hate and terror promotion in education, sports, culture and other frameworks the PA controls. PMW’s work has changed the way the world sees the Palestinian Authority.

Marcus has made numerous presentations to legislators, governments, and other decision-makers. His book Deception, co-authored with Nan Jacques Zilberdik, was acclaimed by the founder of Human Rights Watch, Robert Bernstein, as “one of the most important books you handle in your lives.”

Marcus was appointed by the Israeli Government to represent Israel in negotiations on incitement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1999. He has received awards from ZOA, Israel Media Watch, and EMET, and was recognized as being among the world’s “top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life or the State of Israel,” by The Algemeiner newspaper.

Richard Marles (AU)

Richard Marles was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Corio in November 2007.

Richard was born in 1967, raised in Geelong, and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He has a LLB (Hons) and BSc from Melbourne University.

He began his career with legal firm Slater and Gordon. In 1998, he became federal assistant secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union where he was responsible for bargaining with national transport companies and managing the union’s activities in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

In 2000, he became assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and ran the Working Hours Case, which gave workers the right, for the first time, to refuse unreasonable amounts of overtime. He was a member of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and led the ACTU’s work on OHS. He also led an innovative program of co-operation between the Australian and Papua New Guinea union movements.

He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Trade, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and today is deputy leader of the Opposition and shadow minister for Defence.

Steve McCabe (UK)

Steve McCabe is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel since February 2020.

Previously he was as an Adviser for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. He’s a former social worker.

During his parliamentary career he has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Charles Clarke during his spells as Education Secretary and Home Secretary. He also served as a Government Whip from 2006-2010 and was the Lord Commissioner who signed the orders to purchase Northern Rock.

Since the 2010 election he has served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and Labour’s Parliamentary Committee. From 2013-2015 Steve served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Families.

Since the 2015 election, Steve has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee which he joined because of his view that we need new models of welfare if we are to preserve the essence of the Welfare State.

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.

Jason is a lecturer at Swinburne University where he teaches risk management and the high-risk strategies MBA unit. He has conducted research into the use of kidnapping by jihadist groups, as a tactic to influence Western government’s strategic policy. Other research interests are focused on how terrorists and insurgents evolve in response to being engaged by special operations forces. He also advises Australian Industry Group members. Jason completed his PhD (Curtin University) in 2016. He has an M.A (Distinction) from Otago University, NZ. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Tin Pei Ling (SG)

TIN Pei Ling MP represents the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in the Singapore Parliament, where she has served since 2011. She is also the Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications & Information. And is now the CEO of Business China, a non-profit organisation that harnesses the support of the public sector and private enterprises to strengthen the ties between Singapore and China. Business China was created by Lee Kuan Yew in 2007 to nurture a bilingual and bicultural group of Singaporeans in developing a cultural and economic linking of Singapore & China.

Pei Ling’s former professional experiences included business consultancy at Ernst & Young Advisory Pte Ltd and group corporate strategy at Jing King Tech (now known as Adera Global).

Married with two children, she takes an interest in diverse topics, including public health (incl mental health) and smart nation/digital economy.

Theresa Villiers (UK)

Theresa Villiers has served as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

A member of the Conservative Party, Villiers was Minister of State for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.

She has a Bachelor of Laws degree with first-class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and a postgraduate degree of Bachelor of Civil Law from Jesus College, Oxford.

She has also worked as a lecturer at King’s College, London

Bruce Wolpe (US/AU)

Profile coming soon

Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman (IL)

Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security

Dr. Lerman was deputy director for foreign policy and international affairs at the National Security Council in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. He held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years. He also served for eight years as director of the Israel and Middle East office of the American Jewish Committee. He teaches in the Middle East studies program at Shalem College in Jerusalem, and in post-graduate programs at Tel Aviv University and the National Defense College. He is an expert on Israel’s foreign relations, and on the Middle East. A third-generation Sabra, he holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and a mid-career MPA from Harvard University.

Itamar Marcus (IL)

Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch is one of the foremost authorities on Palestinian ideology and policy. Marcus has published hundreds of reports and articles on Palestinian society, education, and media exposing PA hate and terror promotion in education, sports, culture and other frameworks the PA controls. PMW’s work has changed the way the world sees the Palestinian Authority.

Marcus has made numerous presentations to legislators, governments, and other decision-makers. His book Deception, co-authored with Nan Jacques Zilberdik, was acclaimed by the founder of Human Rights Watch, Robert Bernstein, as “one of the most important books you handle in your lives.”

Marcus was appointed by the Israeli Government to represent Israel in negotiations on incitement with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1999. He has received awards from ZOA, Israel Media Watch, and EMET, and was recognized as being among the world’s “top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life or the State of Israel,” by The Algemeiner newspaper.

Richard Marles (AU)

Richard Marles was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Corio in November 2007.

Richard was born in 1967, raised in Geelong, and educated at Geelong Grammar School. He has a LLB (Hons) and BSc from Melbourne University.

He began his career with legal firm Slater and Gordon. In 1998, he became federal assistant secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union where he was responsible for bargaining with national transport companies and managing the union’s activities in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

In 2000, he became assistant secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and ran the Working Hours Case, which gave workers the right, for the first time, to refuse unreasonable amounts of overtime. He was a member of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and led the ACTU’s work on OHS. He also led an innovative program of co-operation between the Australian and Papua New Guinea union movements.

He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Trade, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and today is deputy leader of the Opposition and shadow minister for Defence.

Steve McCabe (UK)

Steve McCabe is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Parliamentary Chair of Labour Friends of Israel since February 2020.

Previously he was as an Adviser for the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. He’s a former social worker.

During his parliamentary career he has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Charles Clarke during his spells as Education Secretary and Home Secretary. He also served as a Government Whip from 2006-2010 and was the Lord Commissioner who signed the orders to purchase Northern Rock.

Since the 2010 election he has served on the Home Affairs Select Committee and Labour’s Parliamentary Committee. From 2013-2015 Steve served as the Shadow Minister for Children and Families.

Since the 2015 election, Steve has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee which he joined because of his view that we need new models of welfare if we are to preserve the essence of the Welfare State.

Yossi Melman

Profile coming soon

Jamal Al Musharrakh (UAE)

HE Jamal Jama Al Musharakh has been the Director of the Policy Planning Department at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, since 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the youngest Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations (2013-2017). He currently holds the rank of Counsellor.

With a diplomatic career spanning over a decade, he worked in the European Affairs Department, the UAE Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Office, the United Nations Department (Acting Deputy), and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Office . He is also currently a co-lead of the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Al Musharakh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Relations from The American University of Sharjah, as well as a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Affairs with distinction from Zayed University.

He has completed the New York University program titled Law and Practice of the United Nations: An advanced Course for Diplomats. In addition to receiving diplomatic training at American University Washington, the United Nations Institute for Training and research, and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. In 2018, he was inducted to the American University of Sharjah Alumni Wall of Fame, and occasionally lectures at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Hillel C. Neuer (CA)

Hillel C. Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer, writer, and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO and UN watchdog group based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Neuer is the founding chairman of Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, a coalition of 25 NGOs from around the world. He has written on law, politics and international affairs for the International Herald Tribune, Juriste International, Commentary, The New Republic, Christian Science Monitor, and the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs.

Neuer was selected as one of the “top 100 most influential Jewish people in the world” by Israeli newspaper Maariv, and by the Algemeiner Journal in 2017. He is an outspoken defender of Israel and critic of the UN’s human rights councils’ actions.

More bio information.

Ehud Olmert

Profile coming soon

Andrew Percy (UK)

Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole
CFI Parliamentary Vice-Chairman

Andrew Percy has been the Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole since being elected in the 2010 General Election.

Andrew is a Vice-Chairman of CFI’s Parliamentary Group, and has visited Israel with CFI on a number of occasions.

Before stepping down following the 2017 General Election, Andrew served as Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse from July 2016.

Andrew served as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Canada until 2019, and previously served on the Regulatory Reform Select Committee, Panel of Chairs, and the Health Select Committee. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee from November 2012 until March 2015. Andrew was also a member of the Procedure Select Committee from July 2010 until 2011.

Andrew currently serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Surrogacy and as Vice-Chair of the APPG Against Antisemitism.

He previously worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, Andrew served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and from 2000 to 2010, as a councillor for the Bricknell ward on Hull City Council.

Lord Eric Pickles (UK)

CFI Parliamentary Chairman (House of Lords)

Lord Pickles is a Conservative Member of the House of Lords, and was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 until 2017. He was the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015, and the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Lord Pickles was appointed a Knight Bachelor in May 2015 for his services to local government, and was elevated to the House of Lords in June 2018.

Throughout his political career, Lord Pickles has been a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish community. He has joined CFI on numerous delegations to the Israel, first visiting the country with CFI in 1994, and served as CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman from May 2015 until he stood down as a Member of Parliament in April 2017. He was appointed CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords after his ennoblement in June 2018.

Lord Pickles has led a number of high profile CFI parliamentary delegations to Israel and the West Bank. In February 2017, Lord Pickles planted a tree at the Yad Kennedy Memorial in the Aminadav Forest in Jerusalem in honour of his knighthood, accompanied by three former Secretaries of State.

Lord Pickles currently leads the UK Government’s work on post-Holocaust initiatives, working with academics, survivors and educational and social organisations in the UK, having been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in September 2015. He has played an integral role in the planning for a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and is a co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Lord Pickles was instrumental in the drafting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which then-Prime Minister Theresa May announced the UK would be adopting at CFI’s Annual Business Lunch in December 2016. The IHRA definition is now used by UK police, councils, universities, and schools.

Prior to his election to Parliament in 1992, Lord Pickles worked as a Consultant in Employment Practice and Local Government Editor for Conservative Newsline (1990-92).

Lord Stuart Pollak (UK)

Profile coming soon

Christian Porter (AU)

Christian Porter has been Australia’s Attorney-General since December 2017. Following the May 2019 election, he has also taken on responsibility for the Industrial Relations portfolio and has become Leader of the House. He previously served as Minister for Social Services.

As Attorney-General, Christian played a key role in the modernisation of Australia’s national security laws with the successful passage of the Espionage and Foreign Interference, and Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme legislation, which represent the most substantial reforms to Australia’s national security legislation since the 1970s.

Christian is also focused on reforming the family court system to help families save time and costs in family law disputes.

In Social Services, Christian steered the critical transition of the National Disability Insurance Scheme from trial to national roll out and oversaw a suite of welfare reforms which, combined with strong job growth, saw 140,000 fewer people relying on welfare – resulting in the lowest level of welfare dependency in working age Australians since the 1980s.

Before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Minister in the Western Australian State Government, holding the portfolios of Attorney-General, Minister for Corrective Services and Treasurer. As WA Treasurer, Christian delivered successive budget surpluses, reduced recurrent expenditure growth by more than 6 per cent and was central to delivering funding for key projects such as the new Perth Stadium and Elizabeth Quay. As WA Attorney-General, Christian reformed the jury system and pursued a range of legislative reforms that significantly reduced all reported crime.

Christian holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia, as well as a Master of Science (Political Theory) from the London School of Economics.

Prior to politics, Christian worked as a lawyer in both the commercial and government settings; beginning his career at Clayton Utz and then later working as a Senior State Prosecutor for the Director of Public Prosecutions WA, where he prosecuted criminal trials for the State. He has also lectured at the University of Western Australia in law, public policy and economics and, immediately before entering Federal Parliament, Christian was a Professor of Law at Curtin University.

Lord Stuart Polak (UK)

CFI Honorary President

Lord Polak was elevated to the House of Lords in October 2015. He has sat on the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee since May 2016, and sat on the European Union Committee from October 2018 until July 2019.

Lord Polak was appointed as only the second Director of Conservative Friends of Israel in 1989, a position which he held until 2015 when he was made Honorary President.

In March 2015, he was awarded the CBE for political services to Conservative Friends of Israel.

Born in Liverpool in 1961 where he grew up and was educated, Lord Polak began his career working for the Board of Deputies of British Jews in 1984 as Education Director.

He has coordinated and led more than 150 Conservative Friends of Israel delegations of politicians to Israel over 28 years and through this he has developed extensive relationships with MPs, Peers, MEPs and advisors throughout all levels of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Pyne (AU)

Christopher Pyne served as the 54th Australian Defence Minister, and was responsible for delivering the $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.

Serving previously as Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher assisted in the development of the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.

During his time as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio, Christopher:

• Awarded the $35 billion Hunter Class Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates contract to BAES;
• Backed in the $50 billion Attack Class Submarine project by Defence and Naval Group Australia;
• Awarded the $3.7 billion Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel project to Luerssen Australia, CIVMEC and the ASC;
• Awarded the $5.2 billion Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to Rheinmettal Australia; and
• Secured Australia as the Asia Pacific hub for the sustainment and maintenance of the F35-A Joint Strike

Christopher also worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and thus implemented Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund.

On an international scale, Christopher was responsible for creating the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific, and was the architect of the Australian Government’s position that Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel and East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Christopher also worked to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with other countries, establishing the Australia France Initiative to take advantage of the close relationship with France through the Attack Class Submarine Project. He settled Defence Memoranda of Understanding with Israel, China, and Switzerland, and initiated Memoranda of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.

Christopher was a Minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments, holding various portfolios including Ageing, Education, Industry Innovation and Science, and Defence.

As a Minister for Education and Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, respectively, Christopher delivered the National Innovation and Science Agenda, reformed the national curriculum, introduced compulsory literacy and numeracy testing for Australian teaching graduates and expanded phonics teaching.

Joan Ryan (UK)

Rt Hon Joan Ryan is the honorary president of Labour Friends of Israel. She served as a member of the British House of Commons until November 2019 and served in the government of Tony Blair.

In February 2019, she resigned from Labour over the failure of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to tackle antisemitism in the party. Her resignation, which attracted widespread media coverage, sharply criticised Corbyn for “presiding over a culture of antisemitism and hatred of Israel”.

Joan was re-elected in the 2017 General Election with an increased majority of 10,247. She regained the seat in the 2015 General Election, having previously served as the representative for the constituency from 1997 to 2010. In Autumn 2019 she announced she would not be restanding for Parliament.

A former teacher, Joan held a senior role in a London local authority before being elected as an MP. She served in the whips office before Tony Blair appointed her to the Home Office. After Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Joan was appointed vice-chair of the Labour party and became the government’s Special Representative to Cyprus.

Joan served as chair of Labour Friends of Israel from 2015-2019. In parliament, she led the campaign to prevent UK aid being used by the Palestinian Authority to incite violence and glorify terrorism. She also worked with the Alliance for Middle East Peace to promote the establishment of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Thanks to her efforts, the British government last year became the first in the world to endorse the Fund. Following her appointment by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Joan joined the Panel of Chairs in 2017. Its members chair Public Bill Committees and other general committees, as well as debates in Westminster Hall.

During her time away from Parliament, Joan was the Chief Executive of the Global Tamil Forum working on human rights and humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka. She served as the Chair of the charity Riders for Health, from 2011-2015, which has helped to improve access to life-saving treatment and medical care for 21 million people across seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. She was the deputy director of the successful NO to AV national referendum campaign on the UK voting system. In addition, Joan worked as a training consultant strengthening democracy and parliamentary procedures with a number of organisations.

Gideon Sa’ar (IL)

Former Israeli Minister for the Interior

Gideon Sa’ar was born in Tel Aviv. He is the oldest son of Bruriah and Shmuel Zarechansky. His mother is a teacher and his father is a paediatrician who immigrated to Israel from Argentina. Gideon began his IDF service as a combat soldier and later served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade. He studied at Tel Aviv University, earning an undergraduate degree in political science with honors along with an undergraduate degree in law. During his studies, he served as the political reporter at the weekly newspaper, Ha’olam Hazeh (This World). He went on to cover party politics for the daily newspaper Hadashot (News) and legal issues for the news program on Channel 2 television. After passing the bar exam, Sa’ar worked as an an aide to the Israeli attorney-general

and the Israeli state attorney and as a prosecutor in the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office. He also established his own law firm in Tel Aviv. In 1999, he was appointed the government secretary for the first Netanyahu government. In 2001, then-prime minister Ariel Sharon reappointed him to this

position. In 2003, Sa’ar was first elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party and served as the Likud faction head, a position which he filled for six years. He also was the coalition chairperson. In the 17th Knesset, Sa’ar served as the deputy speaker of the Knesset and the chairperson of the Committee to Advance the Status of Women. He was the first (and thus far only) man to lead this committee.

Gideon was among the most outstanding legislators in the Knesset. His achievements included extending paid maternity leave, improving the process of selecting Supreme Court justices, and anchoring the doctrine of “abuse of power” in Israeli criminal law.

Twice in a row, in the Likud party’s primaries in 2008 and 2012, he was elected to the highest position on the Likud party’s list of candidates for the Knesset. In 2009, he was appointed the Israeli minister of education, a position he filled for four years. During his term in office, he spearheaded significant advances, including free preschool for children aged three and four, a major restructuring agreement with the secondary-school teachers union, and the establishment of the eighth university in Israel, Ariel University. At the same time, he served as a member of the diplomatic-security cabinet, including during Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas and other military actions. In 2013,Gideon was appointed the Israeli minister of interior. He also was responsible for significant reforms in this capacity, including extending daylight savings time and coping with the phenomenon of illegal infiltration of Israel’s borders. Sa’ar’s many public roles and responsibilities also have including serving on the judicial selection committee, the judicial selection committee for religious courts, and the search committee for Israel’s attorney-general.

In November 2014, he resigned from his positions in the Knesset and the government following his announcement that he was taking a break from political life.

Sanjeev Sabhlok (AU)

Sanjeev Sabhlok arrived in Melbourne in December 2000 from India where he had been a member of its permanent senior civil service. In Melbourne he worked first in the Victorian WorkCover Authority as an executive followed by 15 years as a senior economist in Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance. On 9 September 2020 he resigned from the Treasury to protest the pandemic policies of the Victorian government and explained the reasons in an op-ed in the Australian Financial Review. 

Thereafter he has written a book, The Great Hysteria and The Broken State to explain why he believes the government’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic is inconsistent with the science and the laws. After further research he has arrived at the view that in addition to causing extensive economic harms, lockdowns have caused significant harm to the health of the people and has lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court for what he believes are crimes against humanity in Australia.

Sanjeev has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California and is a prolific author on Indian issues in Times of India where he also has an online blog. He is also author of a book, Breaking Free of Nehru, and in 2013 founded India’s only classical liberal political party, Swarna Bharat Party, which is committed to liberty and to bringing the world’s best policies to India. He is an Australian citizen since 2005 and an overseas Indian citizen which provides him residency but not voting rights in India.

Shabtai Shavit

Former Director of the Mossad & Chairman of the Board of Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), IDC Herzliya

Mr. Shavit was the director of the Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Services, from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Shavit held a variety of positions within the Mossad for over 32 years, until becoming head of the agency in 1989. He served in “Sayeret Matkal” – Israel’s Elite Force, and received an advanced degree from Harvard University. After retiring from work in the security services, Shavit was the CEO of Maccabi Health Services Group for five years. Since 2001 Shavit has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Advisor to the Israeli National Security Council, Advisor to the Sub-Committee on intelligence of the Knesset, Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Member of the N.Y.F.D. Task Force for Future Preparedness against Terrorism. He is also the author of Head of the Mossad: in Pursuit for a Safe and Secure Israel published by Notre Dame University Press.

Moshe Bar Simantov (IL)

Mr. Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov has a rich experience in directing large-scale public and governmental systems, and in leading strategic processes on the national level. He has a deep familiarity of all fields relevant to finance, healthcare, and regulatory systems. Mr. Bar Siman-Tov has led strategic and structural changes, as well as organizational innovation and digital transformation for the healthcare system in Israel.

From July 2015 until June 2020, Mr. Bar Siman-Tov served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the DG of the Ministry of Health, he was in charge of leading the national professional and medical response to the pandemic. Under the political leadership of the Coronavirus cabinet of ministers, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov led the national efforts in various fields: preparation of recommendations to the Cabinet, implementation of national policies, leading the professional Ministry team, coordination and preparedness with and of the hospitals, laboratories, research centers, and all other relevant bodies. In addition, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov addressed the Israeli media and public alongside the Prime Minister, sometimes on a daily basis, in order to convey and explain the governmental policy.

As Director General, Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov held the direct responsibility for a budget of 60 billion NIS per year (18 billion USD), and the indirect responsibility of additional 40 billion NIS per year (11.5 billion USD), as well as the responsibility for 3,600 employees of the Ministry, over 40,000 employees of the various public hospitals, and the indirect responsibility of 100,000 additional healthcare employees.

Among other endeavors:

• He was in charge of preparing and promoting a strategic long-term plan for the Ministry of health, minding the future challenges of the next decade of national health systems.
• He promoted the innovation of the health system, while leading an intergovernmental plan of digitalization, in coordination with international partners, as a growth engine for the economy.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov implemented various reforms, such as the marking of unhealthy foods, restructuring of the public health service, and the creation of a financial oversight mechanism on public health centers and hospitals.
• He managed the work dialogue with the various sectors and professional organizations, on the national and strategic level, such as doctors, nurses, etc.
• Mr. Bar Siman-Tov designed and led the recovery plan for Hadassah hospital, the merger of Bikur Holim hospital with Sha’arei Tzedek hospital, and other professional and financial plans in the public health sector.

Mr. Bar-Siman-Tov is an economist, holding a master degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in economics and Business Administration and spent 11 years in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to his position at the Ministry of Health, he served as the Economic Minister at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.

Tim Smith (AU)

Tim Smith MP is the State Member for Kew in the Parliament of Victoria. He is the Shadow Minister for Planning and Heritage, Local Government, Housing and Population.

Tim was born in 1983 and grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. He now resides in Kew.

Tim attended school in both the United Kingdom and Australia – at Scotch College and Rugby School. Tim attended the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics.

While at university, Tim rowed for Australia between 2003-2006, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships.

Following his rowing career Tim returned to the University of Melbourne to complete a Master of International Politics. As part of his degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Program at the London School of Economics. During this time, he was privileged to work as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

Tim worked as a political adviser for the Hon. Bruce Billson MP and the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst he was the Leader of the Opposition.

In 2009 Tim was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington in Melbourne.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor Tim joined PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in their Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. He was promoted to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia in 2013.

Tim was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 2014. During his first term in parliament, Tim was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Victoria Population Policy Taskforce. Between September 2017 and December 2018 Tim was the Shadow Minister for Education.

Tim has been published regularly in newspapers and magazines, including the Age, Herald Sun and The Australian, and is a regular contributor on radio and SkyNews.

Tim is an active member of our local Kew community and is honoured to represent the people of Kew in the Parliament of Victoria.

John Spellar (UK)

John Spellar has been the Member of Parliament for Warley since 1992.

He is a Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel.

His parliamentary career has included roles as Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Minister in the Whip’s Office with the official role of Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Household; Opposition spokesman for Northern Ireland from 1994 to 1995, and for Defence from 1995 to 1997; Opposition Whip with responsibility for Employment, Trade and Industry and Parliamentary Business from 1992 to 1994.

Mr Spellar has been the national officer for the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.

David Suissa (US)

David Suissa is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish weekly in the US.

For 13 years, David has been writing a weekly column in the Journal that earned him the “Best Columnist” award by the L.A. Press Club and first prize for editorial writing by the American Jewish Press Association.

Before entering journalism, David was founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a marketing firm that was named Agency of the Year by USA Today. In 2005, he sold the company so he could dedicate himself full-time to the Jewish world.

David was born in Morocco and grew up in Montreal, where he graduated from McGill University in 1978. He now lives with his family in a Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles that reminds him a little of his old neighborhood in Casablanca.

Behnam Ben Taleblu (IL)

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament.

His analysis has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Jason Thomas (AU)

Director, Frontier Assessments

Jason specialises in field-based, geo-political risk assessments as well as the design and implementation of stability programs to neutralise threats to projects in complex operating environments. He works

by, with and through local leadership to develop adaptable approaches to exploiting uncertainty  in the face of risks from terrorists, insurgents and other violent non-state actors. He has a specific interest in cross-border assessments and areas located near porous international boundaries. Jason has conducted field assignments for a range of organisations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Peru, Philippines, Jordan, Iraq, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Syria, Cote d’Ivoire, southern Mali, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On behalf of the Asia Development bank he completed the only successful field-based risk assessment of almost the entire Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline.