Nearly three years after the October 7 Hamas terror attack, political leaders, former security chiefs, researchers and policy experts will gather Monday for the National Security Conference organized by the Yedioth Ahronoth Group in partnership with the Institute for National Security Studies.
The conference, to be broadcast live on ynet, will examine Israel’s rapidly changing security, diplomatic, economic and social reality, along with the evolving threats expected to shape the country over the coming decade.
Live broadcast
Israel is confronting a new strategic environment following the campaign against Iran and its proxies, broader changes across the Middle East, mounting international pressure and deep domestic challenges.
At the center of the conference will be the first presentation of INSS’s Israel Threat Index, a large-scale study combining a nationwide public opinion survey with assessments from more than 100 experts in security, diplomacy, economics and society.
The study maps both public perceptions and professional assessments of the principal threats facing Israel, including Iran, the Palestinian arena, Israel’s international standing, national resilience and economic challenges.
Israel’s new security era: Leaders gather for ynet-INSS conference
(Photo: Shutterstock)
A special comparative assessment will also examine Israel’s position on the eve of October 7 against its situation today across the security, diplomatic, economic and social spheres.
The findings will seek to answer how Israel has changed since the outbreak of the war and whether the country has entered a fundamentally new security era.
Senior political figures, including party leaders, ministers and coalition and opposition lawmakers, will participate alongside former commanders, security officials, INSS researchers and other experts.
Together, they will discuss emerging threats, opportunities created by the war and possible strategic directions for Israel in the coming years.
Conference program
10 a.m. – Opening of the conference
Israel’s threat assessment: Opening remarks and presentation of key findings
Moderator: Sharon Kidon, ynet journalist and presenter
Brig. Gen. (res.) Yuval Eilon, senior INSS researcher
Preparing for the worst: The danger of losing US support after Trump
Moderator: Nadav Eyal, senior columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth’s weekend supplement
Interview with Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, executive director of INSS
Finding alternative strategic anchors for Israel: ‘What happens when father is gone?’
Moderator: Ron Ben-Yishai, military analyst for ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth
Interview with Brig. Gen. (res.) Assaf Orion, senior INSS researcher and director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Gadi Eisenkot
Former IDF chief of staff and chairman of Yashar! with Eisenkot
Moderator: Moran Azulay, ynet political correspondent
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Avigdor Liberman
Former defense minister and chairman of Yisrael Beytenu
Moderator: Yuval Karni, political correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Naftali Bennett
Former prime minister and chairman of Beyachad
Moderator: Moran Azulay, ynet political correspondent
The challenge of national resilience: Did Israel meet the expectations of northern residents?
Moderator: Sharon Kidon, ynet journalist and presenter
Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum
Dr. Idit Shafran Gittleman, senior INSS researcher and expert on military-society relations
Lee-At Cohen, vice president of planning and strategy at the Northern Renewal Directorate
Noon session
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: If not conflict management, then what?
Moderator: Elisha Ben Kimon, West Bank correspondent for ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth
Naomi Neumann, researcher at the Washington Institute and former head of research at Shin Bet
Dr. Anat Roth, CEO of the Shiloh Forum
Brig. Gen. (res.) Udi Dekel, head of the INSS program From Conflict to Agreements
The Iranian nuclear threat: Between a negotiated reality and continued enforcement
Moderator: Brig. Gen. (res.) Assaf Orion, senior INSS researcher and director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center
Avner Vilan, former senior defense official and Iran expert
Danny Citrinowicz, senior researcher in the INSS Iran and Shiite Axis Program
Sima Shine, senior INSS researcher and former head of the Mossad Research Division
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Bezalel Smotrich
Finance minister, minister in the Defense Ministry and chairman of the Religious Zionist Party
Moderator: Moran Azulay, ynet political correspondent
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Benny Gantz
Former IDF chief of staff and defense minister and chairman of Blue and White
Moderator: Amir Ettinger, Knesset correspondent for ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Mansour Abbas
Chairman of the Ra’am party
Moderator: Ofer Shelah, former lawmaker and head of the INSS Israel National Security Policy Program
Leadership under pressure: Interview with Yair Golan
Retired major general and chairman of the Democrats
Moderator: Amir Ettinger, Knesset correspondent for ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth
The brain drain threat: Is Israel’s qualitative national security advantage eroding?
Moderator: Tal Shahaf, technology correspondent for ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth
Professor Tamir Sheafer, president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Brig. Gen. (res.) and accountant Re’em Aminach, former member of the IDF General Staff Forum and INSS board member
Professor Arie Zaban, president of Bar-Ilan University
Beyond the threat map: Turning risks into opportunities
Moderator: Sharon Kidon, ynet journalist and presenter
Brig. Gen. (res.) Dror Shalom, former head of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Bureau and currently a senior adviser at JPMorgan
Situation assessment: Closing discussion
Moderator: Sharon Kidon, ynet journalist and presenter
Maj. Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman, executive director of INSS
The conference will be hosted by Sharon Kidon, broadcast live on ynet and covered across the Yedioth Ahronoth Group’s platforms.