Herzliya Conference
The Herzliya Conference is an annual summit held at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel to discuss matters of state security and policy.
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". 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.”Reichman's Institute for Policy and Strategy sponsors 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. The institute is considered a world leader in risk assessment in the Middle East.
The European Leadership Network and the Forum of Strategic Dialogue regularly host special roundtable sessions at the Herzliya Conference.
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.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.