July 17, 2011 -- New York -- An AJC delegation has completed a week of consultations in five Central and Southeastern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean states, focusing on a range of regional issues, including the urgency of avoiding obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group also conferred with government officials on the fight against anti-Semitism and other matters of importance to local Jewish communities.

“As Israel seeks peace with its Palestinian neighbors, and as the clock ticks down on a planned UN-recognition effort by the Palestinian leadership that would bypass and imperil renewed negotiations, AJC continues to consult with world leaders on ways to discourage unilateral approaches and restore confidence in the peace process,” said Jason Isaacson, AJC director of government and international affairs, who led the delegation.

“In Southeastern Europe and Cyprus, AJC has longstanding and warm relationships – with governments, civil society, and local Jewish communities. In our latest visits, we continued to build on those ties, and we gained new insights on regional strategic and political concerns that will aid our advocacy in Washington and other world capitals on issues of mutual importance.”

Among senior officials with whom AJC met in the past week were President Ivo Josipović of Croatia, President Demetris Christofias of Cyprus, Prime Minister Borut Pahor of Slovenia, Foreign Minister János Martonyi of Hungary and Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi of Romania. AJC met as well with U.S. and Israeli ambassadors, Jewish community leaders, government foreign affairs advisors, and independent policy analysts across the region.

Before AJC’s eastern Mediterranean and European consultations, Isaacson conducted two days of meetings with Palestinian officials, including Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and business executives in and around Ramallah. He also joined AJC Executive Director David Harris in a series of AJC leadership meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a range of political and strategic analysts.