From 5 to 8 October 2026, the annual World Summit on Counter-Terrorism of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) took place at Reichman University in Herzliya. As one of the leading international forums on counterterrorism, the conference brings together experts, policymakers, and academics from more than 65 countries each year. Under the theme “The Evolving Architecture of Terror: States, Proxies, and Technology,” this year’s discussions focused on the relationship between state actors and their proxy organizations, as well as the impact of emerging technologies on terrorist threats and counterterrorism efforts.
Against the backdrop of the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks, the relevance of these issues for Israel was evident throughout the conference. The memory of the attacks and their far-reaching political, societal, and security consequences shaped many discussions on the future security of Israel and the broader Middle East.
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Israel once again contributed to the program with its own panel discussion. Together with the ambassadors of the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, India, Cyprus, and the European Union, we examined how Israel and the region have changed since 7 October 2023. Panel participants included Veronika Šmigolová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, Stella Ronner-Grubačić, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Jitendra Singh, Ambassador of India, Kornelios Korneliou, Ambassador of Cyprus, and Michael Mann, Ambassador of the European Union to Israel. The discussion focused on the security, societal, and diplomatic developments of the past three years and their implications for regional stability and international partnerships.
In addition, invited guests met over lunch with Assaf Moghadam, the new Director of the ICT, and Dr. Guido Steinberg of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) to discuss prospects for a future security architecture in the Middle East. Particular attention was given to the prerequisites for stronger regional cooperation and the role of international partners in addressing shared security challenges.
The conference provided numerous opportunities for professional exchange on current security developments and diverse strategic perspectives. At the same time, Israel’s upcoming elections were a recurring topic on the sidelines of the event. Leading representatives from various political parties presented their assessments of the current situation and outlined their visions for Israel’s future security and the future of the region. These discussions underscored the close connection between the country’s security debates and the political decisions that will shape the months ahead.
A recording of the conference is available on the ICT website.
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About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.