(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 27 April 2014):
1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks:
"This evening we will mark Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day. The State of Israel will honor the memory of the six million victims of the Holocaust. The main difference between the helplessness of the Jews during the Holocaust and the situation of the Jews today is that today we have a strong, sovereign state with a strong military that can defend us against those who seek our lives.
Iran tops the list of those who seek our lives; it has declared its intention to destroy us. In addition to its effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons, Iran arms, finances and trains Hamas and other terrorist organizations on our borders. Hamas denies the Holocaust even as it attempts to create an additional Holocaust by destroying the State of Israel. It is with this Hamas that Abu Mazen chose to form an alliance last week. Instead of issuing statements designed to placate global public opinion, Abu Mazen needs to choose between the alliance with Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel and denies the Holocaust, and a true peace with Israel. We hope that he will disavow this alliance with Hamas and return to the path of true peace.
Today, the Cabinet is due to approve Finance Minister Yair Lapid's and Social Affairs and Social Services Minister Meir Cohen's proposal for a national plan to assist Holocaust survivors. Also, a representative of the Senior Citizens Affairs Ministry will present an initiative to assist Holocaust survivors in utilizing their full rights. We have a moral obligation to see to it that Holocaust survivors living among us can live out their lives honorably. We [also] have the supreme national responsibility of preventing another Holocaust; let us do both."
2. Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed the Government's greetings to the Druze community on the occasion of the Nebi Shueib holiday.
3. The Cabinet discussed and approved a plan to provide increased assistance to Holocaust survivors.
4. Senior Citizens Affairs Minister Uri Orbach and Senior Citizens Ministry Director General Gilad Semama briefed ministers on the ministry's efforts to assist Holocaust survivors in fully utilizing their rights.
5. The Cabinet approved the following Foreign Service appointments:
- Irit Ben-Abba – Ambassador to Greece
- Anna Azari – Ambassador to Poland
- Rafael Eldad – Ambassador to Chile
- Mordehai Amihai Bives – Ambassador to the Caribbean states (resident in New York)
- Shai Cohen – Consul-General in Istanbul
- Ephraim Ben-Matityahu – Ambassador to the Philippines
- Nina Ben-Ami – Ambassador to Uruguay
- Michael Lotem – Consul-General in St. Petersburg
- Daniel Carmon – Ambassador to India and non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka
- Reda Mansour – Ambassador to Brazil
- Amir Lati – Consul-General in Chengdu
- Yaron Meir – Ambassador to Nepal
- Eli Belotsercovsky – Ambassador to Ukraine
- Giora Becher – Ambassador to Colombia
- Hanan Goder-Goldberger – Ambassador to South Sudan
- David Akov – Consul-General in Mumbai
- Daniel Zohar-Zonshine – Ambassador to Myanmar
- Gershon Kedar – Ambassador to Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe
- Dan Oryan – Ambassador to Macedonia
6. Pursuant to Article 33 of Basic Law: The Government, the Cabinet voted to delegate to Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon the Government's authority to approve the import of military firearms in accordance with Article 2 of the 1949 Firearms Law.