(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 23 March 2014):

1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri made the following remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"Over the weekend our forces struck at a terrorist who had organized attacks on Israelis and was also planning attacks on innocent civilians. I would like to commend the anti-terrorism unit, the IDF units involved, including the ultra-orthodox brigade, and the ISA for carrying out a very important operation in eliminating someone who endangered Israeli citizens. Our policy is to attack those who attack us and who are planning to attack us. Both were applicable in this case. At the same time, we also discovered a tunnel, a Hamas attack tunnel. These items underscore the importance of strict security procedures in any future settlement.

Today, we will submit the government's plans for the coming year. The government has many achievements – in security, the economy, in advancing the periphery and linking the Negev and the Galilee to the center of the country, in moving centers of employment and activity from the center to the Negev and the Galilee, in railroads, highways, tunnels and interchanges, in creating a cyber-center in Be'er Sheva and, of course, in many other projects.

One of the things that we are doing is improving environmental protection. Today, Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz will submit a plan for dealing with waste disposal in Arab, Bedouin and Druze communities. There are deficiencies there that have built up over many years, and we plan to deal with them. The minister will present this plan.

Science Minister Yaakov Peri will present Science Day. I remind you that Israel invests more in research and development than any other country relative to its GDP, almost 5%. We call on the giant companies to continue coming to the State of Israel and opening research and development centers here. The infrastructure of Israel's competitive ability, which is based on innovation and technology, in the end, rests on science. I add that science rests on mathematics. Education in the sciences and mathematics are at the root of our ability to compete in the world of the present and the future. Therefore, I ascribe great importance to developing this idea and this concept among Israeli children and parents. Parents who send their children to study science will help both their children and the country."

"On Wednesday, throughout the country, we will mark Israeli Science Day on an unprecedented scale, with over 200 events, all free of charge, and all open to the public.

As the Prime Minister has already mentioned, Israeli science and research have, over the years, become one of the cornerstones of the State of Israel. The high standard that we set for ourselves brings new challenges on a daily basis, as well as annually, with national investment in research and making science accessible to all Israelis first and foremost.

Scientific discovery is the spark in all human cultural and technological development. The Government of Israel will continue to devote maximum resources and efforts in order to maintain Israel's scientific supremacy in the world.

Israeli Science Day, on the one hand, shows appreciation for the achievements of our scientists and researchers, and, on the other, will continue the constant effort to show this wonderful world of scientific achievement to our citizens and our children.

Israeli science is Israeli pride. Go out to the events; take your families. It is from this world of science that the next generation of scientists will come. Thank you."

2. Prime Minister's Office Director General Harel Locker tabled a book containing the Government's working plans for 2014.
3. Pursuant to Article 38 of Basic Law: The Government, the Cabinet decided to propose that the Knesset declare a state of emergency for the period of one year to take effect upon the expiry of the current state of emergency on 31 May 2014.

4. The Cabinet discussed the improvement waste management in Arab, Bedouin and Druze communities.

5. Science, Technology and Space Minister Peri and senior ministry officials briefed the Cabinet on the activities of the ministry.