As part of our ongoing work in the Middle East, the Foreign Policy Centre hosted a keynote lecture by Eival Gilady. Eival is the Head of the Israel Office of the Portland Trust, and was formerly Head of Co-ordination and Strategy at the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister. He spoke on the challenges and opportunities in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East.

Brigadier General (Res.) Eival Gilady is president of VANADIS Ltd and the Chairman of the Western Galilee College. He was formerly Head of Coordination and Strategy at the Office of the Prime Minister from March 2005.

From 2001 to 2004 he served as Head of the Israel Defence Force's Strategic Planning Division. His responsibility in this position encompassed strategic net assessment and all areas of politico-military policy recommendations, including the security aspects of the peace process and peace talks. Within the context of this role, he was responsible for developing the Gaza Disengagement Plan.

A Brigadier General in the IDF, Gilady, has a distinguished military career spanning three decades - commanding field units for twenty years, and serving an additional ten years at the General Staff.