Key Democratic and Republican lawmakers met Tuesday with members of the Knesset and high-ranking Israeli cabinet ministers as part of a Capitol Hill conclave under the auspices of the Jerusalem Conference.

The daylong event marked the first time a Jerusalem Conference gathering was held outside Israel's capital. The annual Jerusalem Conference (the next one is scheduled for February 2010) showcases a wide range of Israeli politicians, political and military strategists from around the world, and members of the Israeli settlement enterprise who discuss the Jewish state's military, political and social challenges.

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The Washington conference, which focused on the realities of the Middle East peace process and regional threats to global security, featured panelists such as Rep. Howard Berman (chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), Sen. Sam Brownback (Senate Committee on Appropriations), Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Senate Committee on Homeland Security), Rep. Shelly Berkley (House Foreign Relations Committee) and Israeli Minister Without Portfolio General (Ret.) Yossi Peled.

The gathering took place in the immediate aftermath of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's laudatory words for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "unprecedented concessions" to jump-start Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Though Clinton sought to modify the comments in the wake of angry responses from Palestinian officials, they were much appreciated by the Israeli government, as reflected in statements by Minister Peled to The Jewish Press.

"Two months ago, who would have thought that such comments would come from Secretary of State Clinton? Things change quickly in the Middle East and there is a reason for what happened," said Peled.

"A new American president and administration can enter the White House with hopes and dreams. But the realities are stronger than the dreams. It took the new American administration some time to learn about the realities of what is going on, which is natural."