(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Monday, 23 July 2018), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:
"First, I would like to commend the strong position expressed yesterday by President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo against the aggression of the regime in Iran. Over the years, this regime has been spoiled by the major powers and it is good to see that the US is changing this unacceptable equation.
In this context, I must point out that our diplomatic and military cooperation with US is at an all-time high.
Second, today I will meet with a Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Russian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. The delegation is here at the request of President Putin, in a conversation he had with me a few days ago. I will discuss with it regional issues, the situation in Syria being first and foremost. I will present to the Russian delegation the position that I presented to President Putin during my last visit to Moscow: Israel insists that [1974] Separation of Forces Agreement between it and Syria be honored as it was in the decades before the outbreak of civil war in Syria, and that Israel will continue to act against any attempt by Iran and its proxies to establish a military presence in Syria.
Third, pursuant to the
upgrade in Israel's credit rating by Moody's, which we all welcome, today the Cabinet will approve a decision to advance Israeli activity in the field of international development. This step continues to establish Israel's standing in the world. It joins a series of decisions that we have led to strengthen economic ties with global markets, especially India, China and the countries of Latin America and Africa. Israel is a global leader in technology, agriculture, water, health and medicine. We have vast export potential and we are realizing it thanks to the correct policy of the government. The moves that we are leading will strengthen not only the Israeli economy, but also our diplomatic ties on every continent.
Finally, this government is making great efforts to remove illegal migrants from the country. These efforts are continuing all the time and are world-embracing. In the meantime, the residents of the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv and other places are groaning under the burden of a complex reality; therefore, today the Cabinet will approve an important and correct decision. We will define areas with a high percentage of illegal migrants as national priority areas. We will invest tens of millions of shekels to rehabilitate and strengthen infrastructures, and improve social welfare, education and health, in south Tel Aviv. This is necessary in order to strengthen the socio-economic resilience of neighborhood residents, who are dealing with many challenges. At the same time we will continue our diplomatic efforts to deport the migrants. We are committed to this."