Ehud Olmert, who served as the 12th prime minister of Israel from April 2006 – March 2009, will present a public lecture on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in McCosh Hall, Room 50, on the Princeton University campus. The talk is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for entry.

Olmert has a long history of public service in Israel.  He was first elected to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) in 1973 and served through 1992.  In November 1993 he was elected mayor of Jerusalem and served for two terms until 2003.  In 2003 Olmert reentered the Knesset and was designated acting prime minister in January 2006 following a serious stroke by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  He was elected prime minister in April 2006 and served in that capacity until he stepped down from that position in September 2008.  He then served as acting prime minister until elections were held in March 2009.

As prime minister, Olmert entered into serious negotiations with the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, resulting in the Annapolis Conference in November 2007. Although there was consensus on a number of issues, both sides were unable to finalize an agreement and subsequent talks fell through.  Olmert’s tenure was also marked by military conflicts with both Hezbollah and Hamas.

Tickets for the lecture will be available to all Princeton University students, faculty, and staff on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at noon Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office. Ticketing will continue from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, while supplies last.   The ticket office will issue one ticket per Princeton University TigerCard ID, and individuals may bring up to two TigerCard IDs.

Tickets for the general public will be available at noon on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office. Public ticket distribution will continue, while supplies last, at the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.   A government-issued photo ID is required to obtain a ticket, with a maximum of two tickets per person.

Ticketholders must be seated by 7:20 p.m., at which point seating will be opened to individuals in a wait line. For security reasons, no umbrellas, backpacks or flash photography will be allowed inside the venue. Tickets will not be valid after 7:20 p.m.

The event will be webcast live at http://hulk03.princeton.edu:8080/WebMedia/channels/ and archived online for later viewing on the Woodrow Wilson School’s Webmedia site – http://wws.princeton.edu/webmedia.