WASHINGTON – White House Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell accepted an invitation to meet with AIPAC’s National Board over lunch last week where she had a broad range foreign policy discussion on the latest developments in the Middle East and, in particular, those relating to Israel.

AIPAC Spokesman Marshall Wittmann confirmed the meeting in an email to Jewish Insider on Monday afternoon. “We were pleased to host Ms. Powell at our Board meeting, and we had a good exchange of views and perspectives,” Wittmann said.

“She demonstrated an excellent grasp of the subject matter and was an outstanding listener,” noted an individual with knowledge of the meeting.

Powell has spent approximately 15 years in government and previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs as well as Deputy Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy during the George W. Bush administration. In her current role, Powell joined President Donald Trump on his recent visit to the Middle East in May, which included stops in Riyadh, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has boosted its outreach efforts to Jewish and pro-Israel groups. Senior advisor Jason Greenblatt addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) board on June 13 and the Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Mission on June 16, along with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.