Herzliya Conference

The Herzliya Conference is an annual summit held at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel to discuss matters of state security and policy.[1]

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin addressing Herzliya Conference, 2016

History

The Herzliya Conference was established in December 2000 as a "closed-door annual gathering of the country's very top political, security, intelligence, and business elite".[2] Its declared aim was “taking stock of Israel’s national security across a wide range of dimensions: the military balance, international diplomatic environment, economic health, social fabric, quality of education, government performance, and the Jewish world.”[3]

The Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS), headed by Alex Mintz of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy sponsors the Herzliya Conference. The institute studies national policy with the aim of upgrading of the strategic decision-making process through policy-driven research and interaction between policy analysts and policy-makers.[4] The institute is considered a world leader in risk assessment in the Middle East.[5]

The European Leadership Network (ELNET) and the Forum of Strategic Dialogue (FSD) regularly host special roundtable sessions at the Herzliya Conference.[6]

Notable addresses

Ariel Sharon

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered his most important foreign policy speeches at the Herzliya Conferences. His addresses at this forum were likened to the U.S. president's State of the Union address.[7] At the third Herzliya Conference, Sharon announced his support for the Road map for peace and at the Fourth Herzliya Conference, he presented for the first time his unilateral disengagement plan.[8]

Ehud Olmert

On January 24, 2006, Ehud Olmert, in his first major policy address since becoming Israel's acting prime minister, said at the Herzliya Conference that he backed the creation of a Palestinian state, and that Israel would have to relinquish parts of the West Bank to maintain Israel's Jewish majority.

References
  1. Herzliya Conference spurs controversy in Knesset, Jerusalem Post
  2. Journal of Palestine Studies
  3. The Herzliya Conference – An Opportunity for the BRI in the Middle East
  4. El-Gendy, Karim; Jindī, Karīm (2019). The Process of Israeli Decision Making: Mechanisms, Forces, and Influences. Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies & Consultations. p. 121. ISBN 9789953572765.
  5. Kissinger to speak at Herzliya Conference
  6. Special ELNET Panel at the Herzliya Conference
  7. Journal of Palestine Studies
  8. Ish-Shalom, Piki (2013). Democratic Peace: A Political Biography. University of Michigan Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 9780472118762.
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