New York, NY . . . The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations yesterday hosted a leadership conference call briefing with IDF Lead Spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Peter Lerner, who addressed the security situation in and around Israel in the days leading up to the celebration of Passover.
Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents, issued the following statement at the conclusion of the briefing:
“As part of the series of top level briefings the Conference of Presidents convenes for leaders of member organizations on issues affecting Israel and the Jewish community, we were privileged to receive a comprehensive overview of the security situation in Israel from Lt. Colonel Peter Lerner, the lead Spokesperson for the IDF. Col. Lerner is the voice of Israel’s military to the world’s media, bringing clarity to the frequently complex, fast paced and widely covered crisis situations confronting the IDF.
Col. Lerner said that unpredictability permeated the security environment for Israel on five fronts – Hizballah in Lebanon, the fighting in Syria, Hamas in Gaza, individual attackers in the Palestinian territories inspired to violence against Israel, and the Islamic extremist terror groups operating in the Sinai. He added that threats posed by Iran’s support for Shi’ite militias in Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and other terrorist proxies in the region, intensify the security challenges facing Israel.
Despite the instability and violence on Israel’s northern and southern borders and the individual violent attacks against Israelis, the government and the IDF were well prepared to meet the challenges on all five fronts and, in general, the security situation is stable.
Col. Lerner, noted that with the Passover holiday coming up, the IDF, the police and other security services had instituted usual heightened precautions and procedures that are put in place around the observance of all major Jewish holidays.
Col. Lerner expressed appreciation for the support of the American Jewish community and the opportunity to speak directly to the leaders of the Conference of Presidents.”
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