(June 22, 2026 / JNS)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed attendees on the second day of the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Monday morning.
Calling it a “moment of profound challenge,” Herzog said Israel has faced significant trials and sent his “love and blessings” to those defending the country’s borders.
“This important gathering brings together policymakers and thought leaders, experts, activists and innovators,” the Israeli head of state opened his remarks.
“For over two and a half years of war, the State of Israel has faced major threats, heart-breaking tragedies and tremendous achievements,” he noted. “As we speak, the courageous women and men of the Israel Defense Forces are defending our borders, our homes, our families, from those who seek to harm us. We send them our love and blessings.”
Turning to the ongoing seven-front war on Iran and its terrorist proxies, Herzog said the Jewish state was “not opposed to a diplomatic outcome–on the contrary, we seek peace.”
“We dream of peace on all frontiers,” he continued. “However, recent developments are generating serious legitimate concerns in Israel; concerns which must be addressed, because we in Israel are in the line of fire. We are the ones being targeted by Iran’s empire of evil and its proxies.”
He noted that the Islamic Republic has threatened to annihilate the world’s only Jewish state for decades and called Tehran’s nuclear ambitions a “tangible threat” to Israel and world peace.