PM Netanyahu’s remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting

Israel is a sought-after, developed and strong country that even the citizens of countries with which we do not have official relations understand the benefit of relations with Israel. We are going from strength to strength and developing even more links.

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

PM Netanyahu at weekly Cabinet meeting. Archive photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Sunday, 3 December 2017), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:

„On behalf of the Government ministers and the citizens of Israel, I send condolences to the family of the soldier Ron Yitzhak Kokia. The security forces are making an all-out effort to quickly apprehend the murderer reprehensible for perpetrating this act. I have no doubt that the ISA will succeed in this mission and we will deal with him to the fullest extent of the law.

Today the Cabinet will be briefed by the Foreign Ministry Director General and senior Foreign Ministry officials, who are doing excellent work. The Foreign Ministry is unjustly under constant attack. The foreign policy of Israel is also under unjust attack, when it has very major achievements.

The Foreign Ministry carried out a comprehensive survey of 54 countries, of the citizens of those countries I must emphasize. The main finding is that in 47 out of 54 countries, a majority of the people there, believe that their country would benefit from links with Israel. This is a gigantic change. What is also interesting is that half of the public in the countries in the Middle East that were reviewed, the assets and strength of Israel are appreciated and they believe that their country could benefit by links with Israel.

When I say again and again that Israel is a rising global power – I know what I am talking about. Today Israel is a sought-after country. One need only see the 12 hours I was in Africa, or in Latin America on my recent tour there, or on visits to Asia and everywhere else, to see this. Israel is a sought-after, developed and strong country that even the citizens of countries with which we do not have official relations understand the benefit of relations with Israel. We are going from strength to strength and developing eve n more links.

The major diplomatic blossoming of the State of Israel is based – inter alia – on a dynamic economy, initiatives, and the development of businesses and technology. This is at the root of our strength.

The root of economic development is in small businesses. The small businesses go through bureaucratic hell. The ministers and I are working very hard during meetings on regulation and other reforms in order to lessen the bureaucratic burden on small businesses.

Today the Cabinet will approve a comprehensive reform in the business registration law that will focus on easements for the small and intermediate businesses that are the cornerstone of our economy. This will reduce the regulatory and bureaucratic burden on these businesses and will ease the establishment of new businesses.

I would like to express my appreciation for Interior Minister Aryeh Deri for leading this move and I believe that even with all the difficulties, government ministers will unite in order to help pass this important reform. We are in an era of easements for businesses.

The United States made a decision last night to lower taxes. There as well they are fighting bureaucracy; we are in a global world. We cannot lag in the easements that we are giving our business sector, vis-à-vis both taxes and reduced regulation and bureaucracy.

I would note that in the fight against bureaucracy and over-regulation we hold a special ministerial meeting, which I chair, once every few months and we take the axe, the machete, and hack through the jungle. There are welcome results. Over the past two years we have seen Israel has risen on the international competitiveness index from 27th place to 16th place. I tell you this and we are always saying that there is no silver bullet, no single move that truly gives you a great push.

Here is one move, one ver y major move and I know there will be difficulties but Aryeh, I want to again express my great appreciation for having led – together with us, together with Eli Groner and myself – this very important move that could yet put us in the developed top 10%. This is not easy. But we can do it and this will help us.”