On Thursday, Dec 5, Boston University Hillel hosted a lecture by the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, Yuval Steinitz.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yuval Steinitz was born in Israel in 1958. He completed his IDF service in the Golani Brigade and served as a reservist in the Alexandroni Brigade. He holds a B.A. and M.A. (with honors) in Philosophy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Tel Aviv University. He received the Alon Prize for Ph.D. Students in 1993.
Steinitz’s talk was moderated by Ambassador Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States and current Director of the Center for International Relations at Boston University. The event was co-sponsored by the Boston University Department of International Relations, the Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies, and the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House at Boston University.
During his lecture, Mr. Steinitz spoke about the Israeli perspective on the interim deal that has just been struck with Iran. As Mr. Steinitz said, Iran has been a “threshold” nuclear power for over a year, which, given its proximity to and outspoken hatred of Israel, is worrisome to the Jewish State.
According to Steinitz, the amount of uranium that Iran has produced far outstrips the amount that is commonly produced by countries with nuclear capabilities that use those capabilities solely for civilian purposes.
Despite the vulnerable position the recent deal imposes on Israel, Mr. Steinitz reported that he is hopeful that Iran will issue a permanent moratorium on the production of fissionable material for use in nuclear weaponry.
More about Yuval Steinitz:
Steinitz was a Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at Haifa University. He served as President of the Association for the Public’s Right to Know (1999-2004).
A Member of Knesset since 1999, Steinitz has served as member and chairman of the Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, and as member of the Constitution, Law and Justice, and the Science and Technology Committees. He chaired the Committee for the Examination of the Intelligence Services Following the War in Iraq as well as the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee for the Events that Took Place in Amona. Since 2003 he has co-chaired the Joint Congress-Knesset Security Committee, together with Senator John Kyl (Arizona).
Yuval Steinitz was appointed Minister of Finance in March 2009, serving until March 2013, when he was appointed Minister of Strategic and Intelligence Affairs responsible for International Relations.
By Samantha Rose Mandeles
Recent interview with Yuval Steinitz:
