ETZ JIAC Talk

The Abraham Accords entered into by Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Matan Zamir

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Join Etz JIAC 11am 11/8: The Abraham Accords entered into by Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 15, 2020

Etz Chayim’s Jewish and Israel Action Committee (Etz JIAC) invites you to join us at 11am on Sunday November 8, 2020 online for an enlightening and stimulating discussion about Israel, Jews and the Diaspora.

Speaker: Matan Zamir, Deputy Consul General of Israel, Pacific Northwest

The Abraham Accords represent a dramatic breakthrough in Middle East relations. Bahrain and the UAE join Egypt and Jordan in effectively making peace with Israel. In normalizing relations, the Accords arguably go farther than previous agreements that were characterized as “land for peace.” The Accords can better be described as “peace for peace.”

Matan thoroughly understands the implications of the Accords for Israel’s military and economic security, as well as implications for other major players, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East. He will address questions about the Palestinian reaction and the prospects for a two state solution. This will be a remarkable opportunity to hear the Israeli perspective and to ask any questions that you might have about the Accords.

Matan Zamir is Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest. He has been a member of Israel’s Foreign Service since 2011, previously serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Consulates to Mumbai and to New England. He led a decorated career in the Israeli Defense Forces, retiring in 2003 as a lieutenant. During his service he trained over 1,000 cadets. In 2003, Matan was honored for his service and received the President’s medal of excellence for Israel's 55th Independence Day.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Matan was an International Business Manager at a private Israeli Telecom Company, and the Director of the Training Department of the Israeli Supreme Court, a position that was part of Israel’s Center for Citizenship and Democracy. Matan grew up in Jerusalem where his family has lived for nine generations. He is a lawyer; he received his L.L.B. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2008 and like any passionate Israeli, Matan enjoys his basketball, and upon moving to San Francisco he became a proud Golden State fan.

Participation is free. To join, please reserve your seat here.

Even if you’re not sure if you can make it, please sign up in advance since the Zoom credentials will be emailed in advance and not be posted online.


The Etz Chayim Jewish and Israel Action Committee (Etz JIAC) is a group of congregants who are proud and inspired by the accomplishments and contributions of Israel and Jews. We are engaged in articulating the positive aspects of Jews and Israel and working to refute both misunderstandings and deliberate lies of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as well as anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities on middle school, high school and college campuses across the country. We arrange for guest speakers, and provide occasional update and action alert emails so that recipients can make their voices heard. For more information, see our website: http://Etz-Jiac.org