"I'm sure you've noticed that we're a quiet, tranquil, serene nation," he began. "We are a nation that combines people of the Jewish faith who came from over 100 origins, we have Muslims of all denominations, Christians of all denominations, Druze, and Circassians, in a small strip of land where we all live together and practice our democracy and beliefs. And I truly believe that this historic moment in the story of the State of Israel is actually an exemplification of the unique stature of our society and the way it is so exciting, the way it is open, the fact we debate so many issues. And in fact, we are at a critical juncture in a national debate about the way our democracy is structured. 

"I think the same way you see the innovative spirit of the State of Israel, you also see it in this debate. And I am very proud of my brothers and sisters, the Israelis taking an active role in the debate from all of its sides. All I can say about myself is that I'm doing my best to direct this debate into a constructive dialogue that will lead to an agreed-upon result that will strengthen, and foster, and protect Israeli democracy. I can say that I don't know if I can reach results, but I can say that I'm giving 100% effort with the hope that I can reach the same 100% results. I can't promise 100% results. I can promise 100% effort.

"It is especially exciting to welcome our brothers and sisters from the Abraham Accord countries, with whom a joint conference of this nature would have been pure fantasy only a few short years ago. It is an inspiring reminder of what can become possible with goodwill, openness, and an intention to harness our collective creativity toward finding solutions that benefit us all. We even share some incredible tastes and culinary experiences, as you will hear later on.

"This, my friends, is the call of the future of humanity. And it relates so directly to what you all are doing here at this outstanding conference. The fact is that the future will be determined not by the resources of the ground, but by the resources of our minds. But there is another piece. And that is our willingness to share our knowledge resources with each other, to collaborate, for the common good. Of course, while natural resources are limited and exhaustible—shrinking as they are used—the meeting of minds is a gift that keeps us all going on. It is truly the most fertile, and worthwhile, of human endeavors.

"My good friend, Jon Medved, I believe that what you have built in Israel with OurCrowd speaks to all of us. You are an incredible human being and I love your openness and your optimism and your energy! There is no question that as one of Israel’s most active venture investors, you are empowering trailblazers in fields that are key to our shared future. But your unique platform also underscores another critical feature of progress. And that is that it flourishes within a community. You have created a community where people converge to advance goals that emerge from new and challenging and changing circumstances.

"You know, just a few weeks ago I addressed the Cybertech conference and surprised the audience by revealing that part of my speech was written by a special helper: Open AI's ChatGPT robot. It was yet more tangible evidence that we are in new era of discovery and change. But it was also a reminder that our future lies not only with our technology, but with our uniquely human capacity to choose to use it to make a better world. Technology can be an answer to many of our problems and challenges. But it can never replace the intention for good that is at the heart of our human civilization.

"Dear friends, it is no surprise to anyone that chief among humanity’s problems right now is a global climate disaster of enormous proportions. That is why I have made work on climate change a top priority for my presidency. Already, the Israel Climate Forum that I put into place at the President’s Residence has put more than sixty proposals forward for implementation—the fruits of the joint labors of a broad cross-section of experts and stakeholders, from government and academia, to the private sector and NGO and civil society. This is the spirit of collaboration on which our future world depends. And I invite each of you to step forward with whatever unique tools you bring to the table to join our collaborative endeavors and be part of humanity’s response to this unique challenge of our time.

"In our own region, I believe that working with partners old and new we can transform the Middle East into the Net Zero Region, a global hub of sustainable solutions in food, water and health, which can supply renewable energy, mostly solar—this is my dream—solar energy from this region to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is possible as Israel is now negotiating electricity connectors with Greece and Cyprus which will lead electricity derived from solar energy and other sources from the enormous resources of our region to Europe, Asia, and Africa. And I believe that we can harness them to make a more secure and sustainable region that lives in peace.