Watch: Israeli leaders address JPost Diplomatic Conference in Jerusalem
Watch full footage of prestigious event attended by hundreds of foreign dignitaries.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJPost Diplomatic Conference in Jerusalem 2016
The who’s who of diplomacy and politics converged at the annual Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference on Wednesday.Topping the list was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who addressed the conference in the morning. A cavalcade of ministers also attended, including Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Hotovely, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid and Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett.Zionist Union co-leader Tzipi Livni, Egyptian Ambassador to Israel H.E. Hazem Khairat, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon and US Ambassador Dan Shapiro were also on hand to talk about the latest diplomatic developments shaking the region.“We expect high interest in the conference this year due to President-elect Donald Trump’s recent victory in the US elections, the rise of radical Islam in Europe, the ongoing refugee crisis and the precarious situation in the Middle East,” Jerusalem Post Group CEO Ronit Hasin-Hochman said. “This is the place to hear Israel’s leadership talk about all of these topics.”Given the tumultuous nature of 2016, a year that includes a rocky US election, a heated debate surrounding the Amona outpost, and the future of the two-state solution hanging in the balance – the speakers on hand were not short on material.As for financial matters, former editor-in-chief Steve Linde hosted an economic panel, with head of the EU delegation Lars Faaborg Andersen, Bank Hapoalim chairman Yair Seroussi, Nobel Energy executive Binyamin A. Zomer, Ministry of Economy executive Ohad Cohen, and Ministry of Finance Director- General Shai Babad.With the constant state of uncertainty plaguing the country, The Jerusalem Post feels an obligation to reward organizations that protect victims of terrorism.To that end, the OneFamily fund received the paper’s Diplomatic Conference Award for their tireless work furthering that cause.As anyone who has spent a day on Israel’s roads can attest, driving here can also pose a risk to security. Thus, Mobileye co-founder, president and CEO Ziv Aviram, was on hand to discuss how his company strives to keep the roads in Israel (and abroad) safe.Of course, Israel would not be Israel without people who make up its Start-up Nation. As such, we included a lively discussion about innovation in education, between Technion vice president Boaz Golany and Bank Hapoalim chairman Arik Pinto, who talked about Cornell University’s partnership with the Haifa-based university.