Dozens of prominent figures are scheduled to attend the all-day event at the Hilton Midtown, bringing together the people behind the world's most dramatic news. The lineup includes current and former senior government officials, leading business executives, heads of major Jewish organizations, survivors of Hamas captivity, and families of the hostages.

The conference is positioned as one of the year's most significant international events, focusing squarely on the central relationship between Israel and the US, as well as the unique and growing challenges faced by the world's largest Jewish community outside of Israel.

Dr. Miriam Adelson is hosting the conference, which will feature former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator John Fetterman, Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, former US Ambassador David Friedman, former Ambassador and Minister Gilad Erdan, Minister Amichai Chikli, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, and many other leading figures from the diplomatic sphere.

Key leaders from the Jewish community, dedicated to reinforcing the bond between US Jews and Israel, will also be featured. These include Ron Lauder, Malcolm Hoenlein, Rabbi Ari Berman, Elan Carr, Sylvan Adams, and several others.

Shar-Shalom Gerbi, Director of the Education and Community Division at Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-JNF, who is also participating, stated, "KKL-JNF considers the bond between Israel and Diaspora Jewry to be a national mission. We work to strengthen national unity among the people through education, leadership, and deep exposure to the Israeli story. As a Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) who served dozens of days in Operation Swords of Iron and witnessed the profound strength and self-sacrifice of contemporary young Israelis, I am committed, alongside my colleagues at KKL-JNF, to empowering a young generation connected to values, Zionism, and engagement, ensuring the intergenerational connection remains vibrant, meaningful, and strengthening."

A major portion of the conference will be dedicated to Operation Swords of Iron, examining its many facets, with a dedicated, central chapter focusing on the hostages still held in Gaza.

The conference host, Yoav Limor, will lead an open interview with survivors of captivity, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who will share their personal testimonies on stage. Limor will also interview the families of captivity survivor Edan Alexander and the family of Omer Neutra, the fallen soldier abducted to Gaza, who was recently returned for burial in Israel.

The discussions will further explore the strategic considerations that shaped cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington throughout the war. Morgan Ortagus, who served as a representative of the American administration in the Middle East, will share revelations about the joint war rooms. Amos Hochstein will address the northern front, discussing whether Israel and Lebanon are moving toward or away from a resolution. Other panels will cover the future of the State of Israel post-war, the effect of escalating antisemitism on Jewish communities, and the media's role during a time of national security and social crisis.

The economic segments of the conference will highlight Jewish and Israeli growth, innovation, and entrepreneurial processes. For example, Ofra Strauss will speak with Yasmine Lukatz about maintaining business resilience during crises, while Michael Eisenberg will present The 11th Million Vision, his initiative to bring one million additional Jews to Israel to strengthen the nation's economic, technological, and social forces.

Yoel Zilberman, CEO and founder of Hashomer Hahadash organization, another participant, noted, "While Israel is learning, correcting, and actively rebuilding its security power even as it fights a war on seven fronts, Jewish communities worldwide have found themselves unprotected on the front line. Jews are confronting hatred on campuses, in the streets, and in synagogues. This reality mandates change, necessitating a move to establish a global Jewish security network – a 'guard for the Jewish people' – that will connect global communities, Israel, and state security bodies."

Other notable participants will include Avigdor Kahalani, Chairman of the Shazar Center, Shaul Shani, Chairman of the Rashi Foundation, Prof. Uriel Reichman, Founding President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Reichman University, Itai Granek, Director General of the Ministry of Heritage, Michal Gerstler, Head of Communications and Government Relations at El Al, and many others.

Tickets here: https://tickchak.co.il/Israel1

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Not only has no one in the world claimed that Israel violated the agreement, but Hezbollah is also afraid to return fire. Iran's flailing puppet is imprisoned in two ways – diplomatically and militarily.

Ron Dermer, who shaped the terms of the agreement on Israel's behalf, explained immediately after it was signed that this would be the outcome. In closed conversations, Dermer detailed the rules and mechanisms that were established. It was clear that Israel maintained a large scope of action to deal with any danger it identified, and this is what happened over the past year.

Dermer was also right when he argued that the IDF's operation in Lebanon at the time had exhausted its objectives. Consequently, Israel was faced with the choice between agreeing to the deal offered by the American envoy Hochstein or undertaking a full occupation of Lebanon. Occupation was and remains the only military way to eliminate Hezbollah, but today this option is not truly relevant, as Israel will not take on the management of Lebanon.

The decision to close the Lebanon front was correct for its time. The problems have not ended in the current round either, as Hezbollah is working energetically to rearm. The Israeli Air Force is working hard in Lebanon, but cannot keep pace. As was learned the hard way in Gaza, from the air, one can delay enemies, but not eliminate them. Complete elimination is only possible with a full ground occupation – something the Israeli public is currently not interested in.

According to well-informed diplomatic officials, the Trump administration set December 31 this year as the final date for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. Should Lebanon fail to comply, the responsibility for the violation will rest with it. One of the fundamental lessons of October 7 is not to allow the enemy to build up power across the border. The current situation indicates that there will soon be no choice but to implement this lesson.

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Firefighters used high-pressure hoses to saturate the towers, aiming to fully extinguish the conflagration, which ranks as Hong Kong's deadliest building fire in more than 5 decades. The origin of the fire, which ignited around 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday and quickly spread across multiple high-rise structures, was not immediately determined. Nonetheless, authorities suspect that exterior building materials at the apartment complex did not meet fire-safety standards, which may have allowed the blaze to spread rapidly.

The Hong Kong police announced Thursday that they had detained a consultant and two directors from a construction firm under suspicion of manslaughter. Senior police superintendent Lai Yee Chung indicated at a press conference on Thursday that flammable foam boards were installed outside the elevator lobby windows on every floor of one structure. Those responsible for the construction demonstrated "gross negligence," The New York Times reported the authorities believe.

By Thursday morning, an unspecified number of residents remained trapped inside, officials noted. To combat the situation, over 1,200 ambulance and fire personnel were dispatched, and the authorities evacuated more than 900 people to temporary shelter.

The tall buildings are part of the dense Wang Fuk Court complex, which contains approximately 2,000 apartments and was erected in the early 1980s. At the time the fire struck, the structures were encased in bamboo scaffolding, a common material for construction and repair work in Hong Kong.

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