​(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Advisor)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, (Sunday, 11 November 2018), in Paris, made the following statements:

"We have now concluded a very moving and meaningful ceremony to end the First World War, a hundred years to its end, a significant event for humanity, first of all because millions of people were killed there.

Unfortunately, this war, which was supposed to end all wars, not only failed to achieve this, but was also accompanied 20 years later by a greater catastrophe on the global level, which of course exacted the greatest disaster in the history of any nation.

The end of World War I was also a turning point in the history of Zionism for two reasons - first of all the breaking of hundreds of years of Ottoman rule in Palestine, which inaugurated, just as Aaron Aaronsohn predicted, the British Mandate, which enabled the establishment of the Jewish state. At the same time, of course, the fact that hundreds of thousands of Jews fought in the armies in this war prepared the seeds of a Jewish fighting force. First of all, by Jewish battalions established during the war by the British army and which constituted one of the IDF's core nuclei, and therefore a monumental event in the history of humanity and of great importance in the history of Zionism.

I am very proud that I came to represent the State of Israel in this important event, and I thank President Macron for inviting us. I think that there is no better evidence of the State of Israel's standing in the world than the way we were accepted in this event, from the place we received, literally, in the first line of countries. I see this as a great compliment to the State of Israel and its achievements. This was, of course, followed by lunch, before which there was a meeting with many leaders, almost all of whom were interested in strengthening ties with Israel, who came to me in the morning before the ceremony and now at lunch. Some of the conversations were short while others were longer and extended. They want to strengthen the political, economic, and technological and security ties with the State of Israel.

I spoke to many leaders, of course with President Trump and with President Putin. I think these things are important to the State of Israel and to our national interests.

The way in which we were received is very significant. At the table, of course, I also sat next to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, alongside the President of Italy and the Governor General of Australia. But what was very interesting was a number of African leaders who spoke about the importance of cooperation with Israel and the way it could of course help their countries. I heard this from countries in Eastern Europe, Western European countries, African countries, Latin America, leaders who came and spoke without question that Israel is a rising force in the world. If someone needed proof, I would say - come to Paris. "