The Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, is Israel's center stage for the articulation of national policy by its most prominent leaders, including the Israeli President, the Prime Minister, the IDFChief of General Staff, and the leading contenders for high political office. Central issues that were first raised or emphasized in the conferences have become part of the public discourse in Israel. The Israeli government authorities have adopted numerous Herzliya Conference reports and recommendations as official policy. With the blessing of the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, the IPS has embarked in 2015 on a new initiative, Shared Israeli Hope: Towards a New Israeli Order, essentially setting a new domestic agenda for Israel. Policy recommendations were submitted to the President of Israel in June 2016 and the opening sessions of the 2016 Herzliya Conference focused on this agenda, while featuring the President of Israel, the IDC President, The President of the Israeli Supreme Court, the President of the World Jewish Congress, the President of the IDC, leaders of political parties, and the Director of the IPS. The IPS' team has also drafted an updated national security doctrine for Israel. It was presented by Alex Mintz and Shaul Shay in Herzliya Conference 2015.
Sponsor
The Institute for Policy and Strategy, Headed by Prof. Alex Mintz, a part of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel, sponsors the Herzliya Conference. The objective of the institute is to enhance Israel’s national policy and contribute to the upgrading of its strategic decision-making process, through policy-driven research and interaction between policy analysts and policy-makers. The IPS deals in national security, military and strategic affairs, international relations and politics, policy formation, intelligence and governance, the Jewish people and their relation to Israel, economy, technology, science, infrastructure, natural resources, environment, social policy and education.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon chose to deliver his most important foreign policy speeches, now commonly known as "The Herzliya Addresses," at the Herzliya Conferences. In the third Herzliya Conference he 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.
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.
