The Munich Security Conference has decided to exclude Israel from the main phase of the event due to the ongoing war, according to an interview conducted by Israel's Channel 12 with the event organizers. The Jerusalem Post reported that this decision came as a surprise since the conference is one of the most prestigious in the field of national security, and Israel has historically been a key contributor to this event. It was pointed out that until last year, the conference had given Israeli representatives prominent positions, allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Ministers Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, and Moshe Ya'alon central seats at the conference.
However, ahead of the conference, which is expected to take place in two weeks, the conference management decided to reject all requests from Israel to participate. The request from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's office to speak at the conference, as he had done in the past, was declined. Instead, he was offered the opportunity to participate as a speaker in a committee. The request from the families of hostages to hold a ceremony to honor those still in captivity was also rejected, with the alternative offered to the families being a "side event," meaning fewer participants in the conference and limited international media interest.
The interview also mentioned that the organizer of the Munich Conference is former German National Security Advisor Christoph Heusgen, who is said to have a problematic record regarding Israel.
