April 7, 2013, Updated April 10, 2013

British physicist Stephen Hawking will take part in the Fifth annual Israeli Presidential Conference in June, organizers confirmed to ISRAEL21c today. The conference gathers the world’s top leaders and intellectuals to discuss central issues “that will influence the face of our future.”
Titled, Facing Tomorrow, the conference was inaugurated in 2008 by Nobel Prize Laureate and Israeli President Shimon Peres. The June 18-20, 2013 event includes plenary sessions, a range of panels, roundtables and master classes in geopolitics, economics, society, environment, culture, identity, education and new media.

This is a return visit for Hawking. During a lecture series seven years ago, the ALS sufferer – who cannot move his body and uses a wheelchair to get around — conveyed that Israel’s “science has always been a center of excellence.”
The guiding motto of the conference is a statement by Peres: “My experience has taught me that people tend to underestimate the tremendous ability within them, and yet mankind has the power to make a difference to ensure the betterment of our collective tomorrow. The test of leaders lies in understanding this truth. Their role is to set the goals and pave the routes to free the power and wisdom within all of us. Leaders should govern less and serve more.”

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