Daniel Shapiro

Daniel Shapiro     (diplomat)
Born	1969-08-01 Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	US, Israeli?
Alma mater	Washington University, Brandeis University, Harvard University
Spouse	Julie Fisher
Member of	European Leadership Network/Young Leaders, WEF/Young Global Leaders/2008, WestExec Advisors
US ambassador to Israel, but flew from Tel Aviv to New York on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's own aircraft  United States Ambassador to Israel In office August 3, 2011 - January 20, 2017

Daniel B. Shapiro is a longtime political operative in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, particularly with Democratic members of Congress. Shapiro worked briefly at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration under Sandy Berger. He then worked first as legislative advisor and then deputy chief (mostly on foreign policy issues) to Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

Shapiro was US ambassador to Israel between 2011 and 2017.

Early Biography

Dan Shapiro was born to a Jewish family in Champaign, Illinois, one of four children of novelist Elizabeth Klein Shapiro and University of Illinois English professor emeritus Michael Shapiro. He graduated from the University Laboratory High School in 1986. He first entered Washington University in St. Louis, spending his sophomore year in Israel, and then transferred to Brandeis University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in 1991 in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Two years later he earned a master's degree in Middle Eastern Politics from Harvard University.

He is touted as: "... a foreign policy specialist with particular expertise in the Middle East." While Shapiro was advisor to Bill Nelson, Nelson co-sponsored legislation with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to restrict US contacts with Palestinians, to criminalize Middle Eastern groups, and to torpedo the Dubai-Port Authority deal, where the Dubai company was to manage 6 US ports.

Shapiro speaks both Hebrew and Arabic.

Working for Obama

In 2007, Shapiro emerged as an advisor/strategist ("work on Middle East issues and Jewish outreach") for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, at the same time as he was named vice president of Timmons and Company, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm with cable-industry clients. Shapiro's ascendance coincided with Obama's emphasis on proving his pro-Israel credentials in the form of several speeches to Jewish audiences; Obama also delivered a major speech at the 2007 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. James D. Besser writing for the Jewish Week outlines the effect Shapiro's recruitment will have:

With millions of campaign dollars at stake as well as votes in a handful of key primary states, the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is poised to dramatically increase its Jewish outreach. That includes the recruitment of top Jewish donors and advisers, and an expected major speech on Israel and the Middle East that a Democratic insider said “will set the baseline and establish Sen. Obama as a reliable, strong supporter of Israel.”

Using Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's own aircraft

In September 2011, Robert Fisk, the renowned journalist, commented on the Palestinian bid to gain recognition at the United Nations. The United States lobbied hard to sabotage this effort and threatened to veto the measure when it would come to the Security Council. Fisk asks: "How come, let's ask, that the US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, flew from Tel Aviv to New York for the statehood debate on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's own aircraft?"

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
WEF/Annual Meeting/2011	26 January 2011	30 January 2011	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2229 guests in Davos, with the theme: "Shared Norms for the New Reality".
WEF/Annual Meeting/2012	25 January 2012	29 January 2012	Switzerland	2113 guests in Davos
WEF/Annual Meeting/2017	17 January 2017	20 January 2017	World Economic Forum Switzerland	2950 known participants, including prominently Bill Gates. "Offers a platform for the most effective and engaged leaders to achieve common goals for greater societal leadership."

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