"As of today, in less than three months, we have done much," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of today's cabinet meeting. " First of all, the cabinet passed the budget. We passed the Open Skies agreement. We formulated an outline on a more equal sharing of the burden. We are now changing the date for the conclusion of daylight savings time. There are also many other things that ministers are working on that will reach the cabinet table and will be passed. I would like to re-emphasize that the citizens of Israel chose us to focus on getting things done, not on petty politics and this we will do."
Netanyahu added, "Over the weekend, I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We discussed issues related to Syria, where the situation is becoming daily more complex. Only last week, we saw battles close to our border on the Golan Heights. Israel is not intervening in the Syrian civil war, as long as fire is not being directed at us. The crumbling of the UN force on the Golan Heights underscores the fact that Israel cannot depend on international forces for its security. They can be part of the arrangements. They cannot be the basic foundation of Israel's security.
I will also discuss this with US Secretary of State Kerry. I have spoken and will speak, with him about this, and together we will try to advance a way to find an opening for negotiations with the Palestinians with the goal of reaching an agreement. This agreement will be based on a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state, and on solid security arrangements based on the IDF."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 9, 2013
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