Seventh Herzliya Conference

The Seventh Herzliya Conference took place from 21 to 24 January 2007.

According to researcher Yonatan Mendel, "out of 160 participants in the 2007 Herzliya conference, addressing Israel's strategic challenges in the region, one could find two Palestinian citizens of Israel."

Program

Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007

8:30 Morning Sessions Opening Session

• Prof. Uzi Arad, Conference Chair; Founding Director, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Prof. Amnon Rubinstein, Israel Prize Laureate; President, IDC Herzliya
• Yael German, Mayor of Herzliya

Perspectives on the Balance of Israel’s National Security

• Chair: Michal Abadi-Boiangiu, Executive VP, Beinleumi
• Prof. Gabriel Ben-Dor, Director, National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa
• Dr. Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group
• Eli Hurvitz, Chairman, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
• Shlomo Nehama, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bank Hapoalim
• Dan Margalit, Ma’ariv

National Policies for Promoting Excellence in Education

• Chair: Dan Meridor, Head of Task Force
• Prof. Miriam Ben-Peretz, Israel Prize Laureate; Department of Education, University of Haifa
• Hezki Arieli, Director-General, The Society for Excellence through Education
• Robert H. Asher, Chairman, The Society for Excellence through Education
• Margaret Spellings, US Secretary of Education
• Prof. Yuli Tamir, Minister of Education
• Dr. Shimshon Shoshani, CEO, Taglit-birthright Israel

12:30 Lunch Session

• MK Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition; Former Prime Minister

14:00 Afternoon Sessions Geostrategic Shifts in the Global Arena

• Chair: Prof. Jacob Frenkel, Vice Chairman, American International Group (AIG); Former Governor of the Bank of Israel
• Torkel L. Patterson, President, Raytheon
• Dr. Horst Teltschik, Former National Security Advisor to the German Chancellor
• Stanley O. Roth, Vice President for Asia/International Relations, Boeing

Bolstering Israel’s Defense Forces

• Chair: Maj. Gen. (res.), Ilan Biran, Board of Directors, Institute for Policy and Strategy
• MK Tzachi Hanegbi, Chairman, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
• Col. (res.), Gideon Hoshen, President and CEO, Hoshen-Eliav Systems Engineering
• Prof. Micha Popper, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa
• Brig. Gen. Udi Dekel, Plans and Policy Directorate, IDF
• MK Maj. Gen. (res.), Matan Vilnai Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
• MK Brig. Gen. (res.), Effie Eitam, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
• Dr. Yacov Sheinin, CEO, Economic Models; The Israeli Institute for Economic Planning

Reviewing the American-Israeli Strategic Dialogue

• Chair: Amb. Richard H. Jones, US Ambassador to Israel
• Amb. Nicholas Burns, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
• Lt. Gen. (res.), Shaul Mofaz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation

Strategic Implications of the Changing Global Nuclear Order

• Chair: Dr. Oded Brosh, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Dr. Ariel (Eli) Levite, Deputy Director-General (Policy), Israel Atomic Energy Commission
• Amb. Thomas R. Pickering, Former US Under Secretary of State
• Prof. Paul Bracken, Yale University
• Maj. Gen. (res.), Amos Gilead, Director, Political-Military Bureau, Ministry of Defense

Coping with a Nuclearizing Iran: Options for Prevention and Deterrence

• Chair: Prof. Uzi Arad
• Dr. Gary Samore, Vice President, Council on Foreign Relations
• Dr. Robert Einhorn, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Richard Perle, American Enterprise Institute
• Maj. Gen. (res.), Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel, Head, Security Studies Program, Tel Aviv University
• MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Member and Former Chairman, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee

20:30 Dinner Session

• Chair: Dr. Eran Lerman, Director, Israel and Middle East Office, AJC
• Gordon England, US Deputy Secretary of Defense

Monday, Jan. 22, 2007

8:30 Morning Sessions Knowing Thy Enemy: Decision-Making of Regional Adversaries'

• Chair: Prof. Alex Mintz, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Prof. Margaret Hermann, Syracuse University
• Prof. Martin Kramer, Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Shalem Center
• Dr. Shmuel Bar, Director of Studies, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya

The Changing Paradigm of Israeli-Palestinian Relations in the Shadow of Iran and the War Against the Hizballah

• Chair: Amb. Dr. Dore Gold, President, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
• Lt. Gen. (res.), Moshe Ya’alon, Shalem Center; Former Chief of General Staff, IDF
• Prof. Bernard Lewis, Princeton University
• James Woolsey, Former Director, CIA
• Amir Peretz, Minister of Defense

Israeli Arabs and the Jewish State

• Chair: Hagai Meirom, Treasurer, Jewish Agency for Israel
• Eti Livni, Former MK
• Dr. Dan Schueftan, Deputy Director, National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa
• Aida Toma-Suleiman, Follow-Up Committee for the Arab Population of Israel

13:00 Lunch Session

• Chair: Jack Rosen, Chairman, American Jewish Congress
• Shimon Peres, Vice Premier; Former Prime Minister

14:00 Afternoon Sessions

Upgrading Israel’s Strategic Partnerships with the Atlantic Community: The US, NATO and the EU

• Chair: Aharon Abramovitch, Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• General the Lord Charles Guthrie of Craigiebank, Former Chief of the UK Defense Staff
• Craig Kennedy, President, German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Dr. Marvin C. Feuer, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, AIPAC
• Dr. Josef Joffe, Herausgeber/Publisher-Editor, Die Zeit
• Maj. Gen. (res.), David Ivry, President, Boeing Israel; Former National Security Advisor
• Bruce P. Jackson, President, Project on Transitional Democracies
• President José María Aznar, President, FAES; Former Prime Minister of Spain
• Prof. Alan M. Dershowitz, Harvard Law School– via satellite

European Foreign Policy under the German Presidency

• Chair: Hermann Bünz, Director, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Israel Office
• Ana Palacio, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain
• Prof. Gert Weisskirchen, MdB, Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee
• Christian Leffler, Director for Middle East and Southern Mediterranean, DG External Relations, European Commission
• Dr. Rolf Mützenich, MdB, Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee
• Prof. Karl Kaiser, Harvard University; Former Head, German Council on Foreign Relations
• Amb. Avi Primor, Director, Trilateral Center for European Studies, IDC Herzliya
• Chair: Moshe Ronen, Chairman, Canada-Israel Committee
• Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada

US Middle East Policy Following the Midterm Elections

• Chair: Amb. Zalman Shoval, Chairman of the Board, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya; Former Israeli Ambassador to the US
• Dr. Robert Satloff, Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
• Amb. Dr. Robert Hunter, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association; RAND Corporation
• Stephen E. Herbits, Secretary-General, World Jewish Congress
• Amb. Dr. Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations

20:00 Dinner Session

Foreign Policy Challenges - Views from Israel, Europe and America

• Chair: Poju Zabludowicz, Chairman and CEO, Tamares Group
• Tzipi Livni, Vice Prime Minister; Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister of Justice
• Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister, Czech Republic

• Chair: Shula Bahat, Associate Executive Director, American Jewish Committee
• Senator John Edwards, Head, One America Committee; Candidate for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination – via satellite

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007

8:30 Morning Sessions Policy Implications of Regional Economic Trends

• Dr. Edward L. Morse, Chief Energy Economist, Lehman Brothers
• Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman, Portland Capital & Portland Trust
• MK Prof. Avishay Braverman, Knesset Finance Committee

Israel’s Financial Strength Following the Reform

• Chair: Prof. Amir Barnea, Founding Dean, Arison School of Business, IDC Herzliya
• Dr. Yossi Bachar, Director-General, Israel Tax Authority
• Gabriela Ravid, Former CEO, Psagot Ofek Investment House
• Zvi Ziv, CEO, Bank Hapoalim
• Prof. Stanley Fischer, Governor, Bank of Israel

Energy Security and Alternative Energy Sources

• Chair: Amir Makov, Chairman, Israeli Institute of Petroleum and Energy
• Maj. Gen. (res.), Oren Shachor, Chairman and President, Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company
• Yossi Maiman, President, Merhav Group
• Dr. Sass Somekh, President, Novellus Systems
• Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of National Infrastructure

Challenges for Next Generation’s Leaders

• Chair: Dr. Shimshon Shoshani
• Prof. Oz Almog, University of Haifa
• Maj. Yifat Greenwald, IDF Behavioral Sciences Department
• Brig. Gen. (res.), Yair Cohen, Intelligence Corps, IDF
• Dr. Jeffrey R. Solomon, President, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
• Matthew Bronfman, Chair, Budget and Finance Commission, World Jewish Congress

13:30 Lunch Session

• Dr. Charles Murray, American Enterprise Institute

15:00 Afternoon Sessions

• Chair: Amb. Ronald S. Lauder, Founder, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Governor Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts
• Newt Gingrich, Former US Speaker of the House of Representatives – via satellite

Jewish Identity and National Strength

• Chair: David Gappell, Managing Director, Schusterman Foundation-Israel
• Rabbi Prof. David Ellenson, President, Hebrew Union College
• Prof. Aliza Shenhar, President, Emek Yezreel College
• Dr. Meir Buzaglo, Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew University.
• Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmur, Dean of the Jerusalem School, Hebrew Union College

Strategies for Confronting Anti-Semitism

• Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman, The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations
• Dr. Stanley Greenberg, The Israel Project
• Ze’ev Boim, Minister of Immigrant Absorption

Israel and the Diaspora – The Global Partnership of the Jewish People with the State of Israel

• Chair: Zeev Bielski, Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency for Israel and the World Zionist Organization
• Ofra Strauss, Chair, Strauss-Elite Group
• Benny Landa, Founder, HP Indigo
• Israel Maimon, Cabinet Secretary

20:30 Dinner Session

Combating the De-legitimization of the Jewish State and Winning the Battle of Public Opinion

• Chair: Dr. Fania Oz-Salzburger, Faculty of Law, University of Haifa
• MP Prof. Irwin Cotler, Member of Parliament; Former Justice Minister, Canada
• Senator John McCain, Senator from Arizona – via satellite
• Natan Sharansky, Head, Institute for International and Middle Eastern Studies, Shalem Center
• Dr. Richard Landes, Boston University; Director & Co-Founder, Center for Millennial Studies

Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007

8:30 Morning Sessions Initiatives for Diplomacy and Statecraft in the Arab-Israeli Context

• Dr. Salam Fayyad, Former Minister of Finance, Palestinian Authority
• David Makovsky, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
• MK Silvan Shalom, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
• Gidi Grinstein, Founder and President, Reut Institute
• MK Prof. Shlomo Breznitz, Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee
• Akiva Tor, Director, Department for Jewish Communities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Future of the Israeli Economy: Reducing Poverty through Economic Growth

• Chair: Dror Strum, Director, The Israeli Center for Economic Planning
• Dr. Yacov Sheinin
• Leah Achdut, Deputy Director General, National Insurance Institute
• Prof. Rafi Melnick, Dean, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Nehemia Strasler, Chief Economic Editor, Ha’aretz

12:00 Lunch Session

• Avraham Hirschson, Minister of Finance

13:00 Afternoon Sessions Land, Environment, and the Sustainable Future of Israel

• Chair: Effi Stenzler, Chairman, Jewish National Fund
• Dr. Izhak Schnell, Department of Geography, Tel Aviv University
• Chen Altshuler, Director of Research, Altshuler Shaham Fund
• MK Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, Chairman, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee

A Shared Galilee: Jewish-Arab Post-War Development of the Galilee

• Chair: Dr. Ramzi Halabi, Department of Labor Studies, Tel Aviv University; Board Member, The Abraham Fund Initiatives
• Prof. Ezra Sadan, Managing Partner, Sadan-Lowenthal, Ltd.; Former Director-General, Ministry of Finance
• Raanan Dinur, Director-General, Prime Minister’s Office

Law, Governance and National Fortitude

• Justice Micha Lindenstrauss, State Comptroller and Ombudsman
• Isaac Herzog, Minister of Tourism
• Prof. Uriel Reichman, Founding President, IDC Herzliya
• Hagai Golan, Editor, Globes

Patriotism and National Resilience in Israel after the Second Lebanon War: The National Survey 2007

• Chair: Prof. Amnon Rubinstein
• Prof. Ephraim Yaar, Head, Program in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Tel Aviv University
• Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, President, University of Haifa
• Ari Shavit, Ha’aretz

Awarding of prize for photography on “Patriotism during the War in Lebanon”

19:30 Closing Session and the Prime Minister’s “Herzliya Address”

Dinner

• Chair: Prof. Amnon Rubinstein
• Amb. Ronald S. Lauder, Founder, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya
• Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister
• Prof. Israel (Robert) J. Aumann, Nobel Prize Laureate; Center for the Study of Rationality, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Aharon Yadlin
• Geula Cohen
• Prof. Uzi Arad

External resources

• Mitt Romney: Remarks at the Seventh Annual Herzliya Conference in Herzliya, Israel, 23 January 2007, The American Presidency Project.
• Toby Greene, Fearing Iran, guardian.co.uk, 26 January 2007.
• David Hearst, Israel tries to cut off Tehran from world markets, The Guardian, 26 January 2007.