The first Israel conference of its kind will be taking place at Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, co-hosted by Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) along with Tel Aviv International Salon, Sella Meir and Shibolet Press.
Headlined by conservative podcaster and author Ben Shapiro, high profile speakers will discuss issues including gender, free speech and the impact of US elections on Israel in front of 2,500 attendees.
CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp is scheduled to open the event, followed by a panel on conservative judicial revolution featuring MK Amir Ohana. John Rakolta and David Fischer, former US ambassadors to the UAE and Morocco respectively, will then discuss how to achieve peace through strength.
Other speakers include former Israeli NBA player Omri Casspi, former US Attorney-General Matthew Whittaker and Tikva Fund CEO Amiad Cohen.
Headliner Shapiro will be joined by Israeli political analyst Amit Segal in a session titled “How Can the Right Win the War of Ideas? The Fight to Save the Free World.” Shapiro is also planning to participate in a question-and-answer session for the conference’s attendees.
Shapiro is a Republican pundit who hosts The Ben Shapiro Show, one of the most listened-to conservative podcasts in the US. He is well-known for his brisk, edgy manner of speech. Shapiro is also the co-founder and editor emeritus of The Daily Wire, a conservative news site that has expanded into the media world, producing films and children’s content, as well as its own streaming service.
As a kippah-wearing Orthodox Jew, Shapiro has often been the target of antisemitism, particularly on Twitter, as well as death threats from either side of the political spectrum.
The conference will address the same topics as US President Joe Biden did in Israel last week, Schlapp said, such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“Biden will push Israel to go woke while we will encourage Israelis to fight for their survival,” Schlapp said in a statement made before Biden’s visit, obtained by The Daily Wire. “Biden will pressure Israel to seek appeasement with Iran while we will rally Israelis to continue being the greatest democracy in the Middle East. Biden will beg Saudi Arabia for foreign oil while we will always support energy independence, at home and abroad.”
“Biden will push Israel to go woke while we will encourage Israelis to fight for their survival"
Matt Schlapp, CPAC chairman
The next CPAC conference in the US will take place next month in Houston, Texas and feature Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and former US President Donald Trump.