(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat)

At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 1 September 2013):

1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks:

"Israel is calm and self-assured. Israeli citizens know very well that we are prepared for any possible scenario. Israeli citizens must also know that our enemies have very good reasons not to test our strength – they know why.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Israel Aerospace Industries and the Spacecom Satellite Communications Ltd. for the successful launch of the Amos IV satellite. There are very few countries in the world that can congratulate themselves on such an achievement. As Prime Minister, I and the ministers here are very proud.

This is just one piece of good news that we have had in the past week; there have been others.

Israel climbed to fourth in the health care efficiency index.

Our unemployment has declined to 6.3%. We added 21,000 jobs, no mean feat in the current international economic reality.

The school year opened normally and parents of 290,000 children, aged 3-4, will save at least NIS 8,000 per annum thanks to the free education plan from age 3 that we enacted.

Also, no illegal migrants crossed the border in August. The fence has completely blocked illegal migration – also an extraordinary achievement.

Of course, this is very good news to end the year with.

This week the Jewish people will celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Israel and around the world. I wish the entire Jewish people a good and blessed year. We will continue to strengthen our security. We will continue to develop the State of Israel. We will see to it that all Israeli citizens will have a good and safe year.

We will see to it that it is also a sweet year. Therefore, I ask my fellow ministers – to whom I wish a good and productive year – to dip a slice of apple in honey. Shanah Tovah.

Minister Steinitz has reminded me that we have another achievement – that of Yarden Gerbi, who won a gold medal at the World Judo Championship. Israel is a strong country."

2. Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri briefed the Cabinet on the successful launch of the Amos IV communications satellite. He commended the workers involved in the planning and construction of the Amos IV and added that launching a satellite is an important milestone in Israel's technological capability. Prime Minister Netanyahu seconded his remarks.

3. Pursuant to Article 23 of the 1959 State Service Law (Appointments), the Cabinet approved Finance Minister Yair Lapid's appointment of Dorit Slinger as Director of Capital Markets, Insurance and Savings, in place of Oded Sarig, who is concluding his term.

4. The Cabinet was briefed by Prime Minister's Office Authority for the Economic Development of the Arab, Druze and Circassian Sectors Director Aiman Saif on the Authority's activities, including the areas – education, employment, access to transportation and integration into the fabric of national and social life – in which there has been progress.

5. The Cabinet discussed the rights of working women in Judea and Samaria.

6. The Cabinet decided to create a unit within the Religious Services Ministry – the Jewish Identity Authority – to work on promoting and strengthening the Jewish identity among various groups in society, including the need to increase identification in Israeli society with the fundamental components of Jewish identity and the Jewish and national heritage of all parts of the Jewish people.