Following the dramatic assassination of Hezbollah Chief of Staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai in central Beirut, the Israel Hayom summit in New York will bring senior establishment figures to the stage who participated in shaping diplomatic and security arrangements with Lebanon in recent years.
Some worked behind the scenes during the war, others drafted past understandings, and all have direct access to decision-making centers. The goal is to understand whether Israel stands at the threshold of renewed war or whether the ceasefire remains stable and Hezbollah's disarmament is still on the table.
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In one of the summit's central sessions, Morgan Ortagus, the deputy to the special envoy for the region, will appear and, for the first time in a public forum, detail the dramatic events that occurred in recent months in the northern and American arenas. Alongside her will appear Amos Hochstein, who served as a senior American envoy for agreements between Israel and Lebanon and is considered among the closest figures to managing negotiations behind the scenes. The two are expected to shed light on the question occupying both Israel and the US: Can the escalation still be stopped?
Many diplomats appearing at the summit, some with direct involvement in the issue past and present, will expand on the topic – including UN Ambassador Danny Danon, former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and former ambassador Gilad Erdan.
The summit, which will take place on Tuesday at the Hilton Midtown Hotel in Manhattan, will also feature a lineup of additional senior figures from the political, security, and economic establishments. Alongside the Lebanon issue, speakers will discuss Israel-US relations, the rising wave of antisemitism in the US, the future of the Jewish community, and the global challenges facing the Jewish world after the war.
Alongside a focus on the northern arena, the summit will also address the civilian dimension of the war, which has become a front in its own right. Thousands of families were evacuated from their homes, dozens of communities were damaged, and entire systems were forced to deal with burdens, gaps, and crises. Within this reality, civil society organizations, alongside philanthropic institutions and major organizations, became central players in rehabilitation. The summit will present new models of civilian organization, community responsibility, and partnerships that strengthened Israel's social resilience in the most challenging moments.
KKL-JNF Chair Ifat Ovadia-Luski, who will also speak at the summit, said, "The summit takes place during one of the most challenging periods for the entire Jewish people, a period in which not only the State of Israel faces a test, but also our communities around the world, dealing with a worrying rise in antisemitism. Since October 7, the Jewish National Fund has worked tirelessly to rehabilitate communities damaged in the south and north, and has simultaneously strengthened diaspora communities, which have also mobilized and significantly assisted rehabilitation efforts in Israel. Now we bear the duty to transform that Zionist spirit of the Jewish National Fund into a building force – for state rehabilitation and deepening the connection between Israel and the diaspora."
Masa Israel Journey CEO Meir Holtz, who will also participate in the summit, said, "The Israel Hayom summit takes place at one of the important and critical times for the Jewish people and the State of Israel and represents an opportunity for us to meet, look forward, and strengthen our shared commitment to Israel and the next generation of the Jewish people. At Masa, we see this as a central mission – shaping the future generation of Jewish leaders worldwide, who in turn will make our community stronger and more united. Therefore, we're excited to launch Masa's 2025 influential alumni list at the summit – inspiring young people who took the values and skills they acquired here and transformed them into meaningful action across various fields. Each one of them leads real change and proves that a Jewish generation you can rely on has grown here."
Also participating in the summit: CEO of Hashomer Hachadash Yoel Zilberman, Rashi Foundation Chairman Shaul Shani and Rashi Foundation CEO Michal Cohen, Reichman University Founding President and Board Chairman Prof. Uriel Reichman, former American envoy in the Biden administration Amos Hochstein, Heritage Ministry CEO Itay Garnek, activist Malcolm Hoenlein, El Al head of communications and government relations Michal Gerstler, Deputy US Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, and others.
