The N7 Initiative convened the N7 Conference on Education & Coexistence from December 5-7, 2022, in Rabat, Morocco.
The N7 Initiative, a partnership between the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation, seeks to broaden and deepen normalization between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries. The N7 Conference on Education & Coexistence, organized with the support of the Kingdom of Morocco, brought together a select group of government and nongovernmental subject-matter experts from Israel and Arab states to produce actionable recommendations that deliver tangible benefits to their respective peoples.
The conference included both public plenary sessions and private, off-the-record breakout sessions among participants. Plenary sessions are accessible to the public below.
Public agenda
Monday, December 5, 2022
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. WEST
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. ET
Opening plenary session
Welcome remarks
Oren Eisner, President, Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation
William Wechsler, Senior Director, N7 Initiative
Keynote speaker
H.E. Andre Azoulay, Counsellor to His Majesty the King of Morocco
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
9:15 – 10:15 a.m. WEST
3:15 – 4:15 a.m. ET
Plenary session: Education to advance normalization
H.E. Dr. Ali Rashed Al Nuaimi, Member; Chairman of the Defense Affairs, Interior, & Foreign Affairs Committee, UAE Federal National Council
Dr. Dalit Atrakchi, Senior Director of Department for External Relations, Ministry of Education of Israel
Dr. Karim El Aynaoui, Executive President, Policy Center for the New South
Nagda Mansour Adam Basheer, Activist, Darfur Civil Society Forum; Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy
Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University
Moderator: Dr. Susan Saxton, Founding President (Fmr.), American University of Bahrain
8:00 – 8:30 p.m. WEST
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
Keynote speaker
H.E. Puneet Talwar, Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Morocco
Introduction: Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro, Director, N7 Initiative
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. WEST
3:00 – 3:30 a.m. ET
Plenary session: Opportunities for regional cooperation: Views from Washington
The Honorable Congressman Bradley Schneider, Representative (D-IL); Co-Chairman, Abraham Accords Congressional Caucus, United States Congress
The Honorable Congressman Michael McCaul, Representative (R-TX); Ranking Member, House Foreign Relations Committee, United States Congress
Introduction: Ambassador Marcy Grossman, Nonresident Senior Fellow, N7 Initiative
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. WEST
6:00 – 6:30 a.m. ET
Plenary session: Facilitating regional coexistence & interfaith dialogue
H.E. Deborah E. Lipstadt, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, United States Department of State
Moderator: James Prince, Conference Coordinator, N7 Initiative
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. WEST
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. ET
Plenary session: Promoting education & coexistence in the Negev Forum countries
Ambassador Alona Kamm-Fisher, Chief of Mission, Israel Liaison Office, Morocco
El Mehdi Boudra, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Altantic Council; President, Association Mimouna
H.E. Ahmed Obaid Almansoori, Founder, Crossroads of Civilization Museum
Moderator: Ambassador Daniel B. Shapiro, Director, N7 Initiative
