Sunday, November 21, 2021
9AM PST / 12 PM EST / 19:00 Israel
Opening Remarks
9:00 am Dov Waxman, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Professor of Israel Studies and Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.
9:05 am Aluf Benn, Haaretz Editor-in-Chief
Keynote opening address
9:10 am - Defense Minister Benny Gantz, chairman of the Blue and White party
Session I: The Shadow War with Iran and the Iranian Nuclear Threat
9:25 am Yossi Cohen, Former Director of the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, head of SoftBank Israel, in conversation with Aluf Benn, Haaretz Editor in Chief
9:40 am Panel Discussion
Dalia Dassa Kaye, Senior Fellow, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, Former director, RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy
Amos Harel, Senior National Security Analyst, Haaretz
Avner Cohen, Professor of Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Sima Shine, Senior researcher and head of the Iran program, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel Aviv University
Moderator: Amir Tibon, U.S. News editor and assignments editor, Haaretz English Edition
Session II: Israel, the Palestinians, and the Region
10:25 Tzipi Livni, former Foreign Minister and Justice Minister of Israel, in conversation with Amir Tibon
10:40 Panel Discussion
Ameer Fakhoury, Director of the research center at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Adviser to joint society projects in Israel
Gilad Sher, former Israeli peace negotiator and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Ehud Barak; fellow at Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy
Sara Haetzni-Cohen, Chairwoman of the NGO 'My Israel', activist and writer
Micah Goodman, Writer and researcher of Jewish thought, author of the best-selling book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 'Catch 67'
Moderator: Noa Landau, Editor of the Haaretz21 Project
Session III: The Future of the US-Israel Relationship
11:25 pm Merav Michaeli, Chairwoman of the Israeli Labor Party and Minister of Transportation, in conversation with Amir Tibon
11:40 pm Panel Discussion
Martin S. Indyk, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
Robert Wexler, Former member of the U.S. Congress, President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
Shira Efron, Senior Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and Special Advisor to RAND
Shibley Telhami, The Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland
Moderator: Prof. Dov Waxman
Closing Interview
12:25 pm Moshe Ya'alon, former Israeli Defense Minister and Chief of Staff of the IDF in conversation with Anshel Pfeffer, Senior Analyst, Haaretz
Closing Keynote Remarks
12:40 pm US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Thank yous and Conference Close
Prof. Dov Waxman
This panel will focus on the critical water issues that are directly linked to the development and sustainability of agriculture as impacted by water resources, the impact of global climate change, shared water resources, irrigation technology and challenges and opportunities for assuring food security in the Middle East and Africa.
This panel will explore the impact on human health and the environment associated with human, industrial and agricultural activities on water quality and impairment of water supplies. The panel will also address approaches to reducing adverse impacts associated with water scarcity and quality on human health and the environment.
This panel will address efforts toward water sustainability in growing urban centers in water-scarce regions in the Middle East and Africa. The panel will also review current and planned efforts to improve water treatment and delivery in urban areas, issues of water transfers and multinational cooperation.
This panel will focus on regional and transboundary conflicts and collaborations with the aim of identifying opportunities that may exist for establishing beneficial relationships among neighboring countries and alleviating water stress in water-scarce regions. Political and economic drivers will also be discussed in relation to water security and sustainability.
Rita Colwell is a Distinguished University Professor at both the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research on global infectious diseases, water, and health has earned her some of the world’s most prestigious awards throughout her career, including the 2006 National Medal of Science Award, the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate and most recently, the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions to solving global water challenges. Colwell has been a leader in her field by taking a holistic approach to global health, including accounting for environmental variables like climate change. She uses this pioneering approach in her current work focused on developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world. Colwell previously served as the eleventh director of the National Science Foundation from 1998 to 2004 and, as director, also held the position of co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. Colwell has also held a number of advisory positions in the U.S. government, nonprofit science policy organizations, and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. An internationally-respected scientist and educator, Dr. Colwell has authored or co-authored 17 books and more than 750 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film, "Invisible Seas," and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals. Dr. Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, the Royal Society of Canada, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She is immediate past-president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
Israeli National Security Conference