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 IDF Chief 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.
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The Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS), Headed by Daniel Rothschild, a part of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) 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.
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 its Jewish majority.