This Thursday the Saban Center at Brookings is holding a talk on Women in a Changing Middle East. The speaker is Under Secretary of State Tara Sonenshine. The moderator is Tamara Cofman Wittes. The issue:

As Arab citizens struggle to rewrite the rules defining their societies, the role and status of Arab women is a sharp focus of debate. Arab women have been at the forefront of change, but have also faced unprecedented challenges. How central is women’s empowerment to the success of Arab societies, and how important are women’s rights in the struggle for democracy? What is the U.S. doing to help Arab women (and men) to advance women and girls in their societies? On April 4, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine for an address on women in the Middle East. Senior Fellow Tamara Cofman Wittes, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, will provide introductory remarks and moderate a discussion with Under Secretary Sonenshine after her remarks.

Gee, could they have maybe recruited an Arab woman to play a part in this conversation?

P.S. And yes, I see the Israel lobby at work. Saban was started by Haim Saban, “a tireless cheerleader for Israel.” Sonenshine played an important role in Obama’s 2008 campaign. Per Washington Jewish Week, she was co-founder of a website called Jews4Obama that was designed to counter concerns that Obama was “bad” for Israel. Eric Fingerhut reported: