​(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Sunday, 22 January 2017), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:
 
"We congratulate President Trump on the start of his term. I very much appreciate his deep friendship for Israel, as well as his declared willingness to fight radical Islamic terrorism with full force.
 
This evening there will be a telephone conversation between President Trump and myself. There are many issues between us including the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the situation in Syria and the Iranian threat. I would like to make it clear, contrary to reports that I have read, that stopping the Iranian threat, and first and foremost the threat reflected in the bad nuclear agreement that was signed with Iran, continues to be a supreme goal of the State of Israel. On the issue of settlement, none are more concerned about it than the Likud government and I, and we will continue to look out for it wisely and responsibly, for the benefit of the settlement enterprise and the State of Israel.
 
Today we have received a very significant piece of economic data. I congratulate the Finance Minister. We worked together, and together with the Government ministers, to control government expenditures, and we received data that places Israel in a higher global ranking, because the debt-to-GDP ratio has declined to 62.1 and is continuing to decline, and part of this is a result of correct management of the budget. This is very significant. The credit agencies look at the economy, not only at this figure but first of all at this figure, and at other data. I think that this is a very significant achievement for the Israeli economy and the policy of the government. I would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Accountant General Michal Abadi and I think that there could be no better parting gift than this.
 
I wish IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot a quick recovery. I spoke with him on Friday after his successful surgery. He sounded fine. I told him that he should listen to his doctors' orders and recover quickly, and that we are all waiting for him."