Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | September 8, 2017 – This year, we are honored to announced that the Keynote Speaker for the ADC Palestine Luncheon will be Dr. Ahmad Tibi, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset (Israeli parliament). Born in the Arab city of Tayibe in central Israel in 1958, Dr. Tibi graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a medical degree.
Every year, the ADC National Convention closes with the Sunday Palestine Luncheon, a testament to our commitment to securing the rights and well-being of the Palestinian people. The Luncheon will be held on September 24, 2017, starting at 12:15 P.M. at the Wardman Park Marriott in Washington, D.C.
Prior to his election to the Knesset, Dr. Tibi was a political advisor to the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, and was part of the Palestinian delegation to the 1998 Wye River negotiations which secured partial Israeli withdrawals from parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Dr. Tibi was first elected to the Knesset in 1999 and has served in every consecutive Knesset. Currently a member of the Joint List of Arab parties, Dr. Tibi serves on the Knesset House Committee and Finance Committee in addition to his aforementioned role as Deputy Speaker.
Dr. Tibi is one of the most outspoken advocates of Arab rights inside the Knesset. In 2008, he established a Parliamentary inquiry committee for promoting Arab employment in the Israeli public sector, where Arabs are greatly underrepresented. Dr. Tibi’s passionate defense of the Arab minority has made him the most popular political among Arab citizens; conversely, it has made him a target for the Israeli right-wing. In 2003, right-wing MKs passed a motion banning Dr. Tibi from standing for office in the upcoming election. The motion was overruled by the Israeli Supreme Court.