A controversy has arisen over the payment of a $500,000 fee to former U.S. President Bill Clinton to address a gala dinner on June 17 at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot. Among the attendees will be President Shimon Peres, government ministers and other top officials. The Jewish National Fund is taking part in the event at which Clinton will give the keynote speech. Questions were raised over the weekend after Yossi Sarid wrote an article in Haaretz criticizing both the JNF's large expenditure on Clinton's speaking fee and the high ticket cost -- said to be 3,000 shekels (around $810) per attendee. Later, Channel 1's "Yoman with Ayala Hason" program also reported that the JNF (led by its chairman Efi Stenzler) had paid Clinton the $500,000 fee. Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich was in the Channel 1 studio and said, "This is an unnecessary waste of public funds by a supported body that receives aid from the state." Aharonovich said private individuals should pay Clinton's fee and suggested that the matter be brought to the attention of the State Comptroller's Office. An Israel Hayom investigation found that the JNF gave the Peres Academic Center part of the money to cover Clinton's fee, with the academic center covering the rest. Invitees were asked to pay 3,000 shekels (around $810) to fund scholarships for students at the academic center. After learning of this, President Peres' staff informed the academic center that Peres would not attend the event if such fundraising took place. The academic center accepted this and cancelled the ticket cost. Peres then agreed to attend. While the center is named for Peres, there is no official connection between the president and the institution. A spokesperson for the Peres Academic Center said, "No fundraising will take place that evening, and no payment will be requested from any of its participants." A spokersperson for the JNF said, "Clinton was invited by the Peres Academic Center, which signed the agreement and determined all the details and financial conditions a year ago. The event is not being funded by the public, but rather by the participants who contribute millions to Israel."
