Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Sunday, 27 December 2015), made the following remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:
"As Economy Minister, I am submitting – along with my friend, the Finance Minister – a proposal that is big news for small businesses, a plan that will make it dramatically easier for anyone who opens a new business, in the first three years. Small businesses are bending under the bureaucratic burden, under a burden of regulations, fees and other restrictions that we impose on them. We are going to free them from most of this burden in order to allow them to grow. Small businesses are a considerable growth engine and we know that this will, of course, lead to greater employment and to our economic development. Therefore, this step is vital and innovative. I think that it is a correct and important economic step.
An additional measure that we will advance today to lower the cost of living, together with Minister Deri, is a proposal to lower transportation prices by 17%, and of course to lower the price of water. This is a social measure of the highest order.
I would like to strongly condemn the attacks and threats against Father Nadaf and other Christian leaders. Israel is perhaps the only country, if not the only country in the Middle East, that is devoted to maintaining the rights of all religions. We also especially safeguard the Christian community, which is being harshly attacked throughout the Middle East. We certainly will not countenance attacks on Christian leaders, or on Christians in general, within the State of Israel.
[Concerning terrorism, Jewish and Arab]
I think that something else must be said: The ISA, including all of its branches, is doing very important work. It is acting according to law, under legal oversight. It is acting in accordance with the government's policy of fighting terrorism of any kind, and this is what we are doing. We are not prepared to accept terrorism from any quarter.
I would, however, like to point out the difference. Arab terrorism attacks us relentlessly and we are fighting it without restrictions. This terrorism is much greater [than Jewish terrorism] in magnitude; there is no comparison. Second, there is something else: the government here, and our public, and all bodies and all leaders come out against phenomena of Jewish terrorism. We condemn; they praise. In the Palestinian Authority, public squares and streets are named after terrorists. The PA pays them salaries. There is a great difference between Israeli society's and Israeli democracy's healthy approach, which disavows, condemns and takes action against terrorism, and the Palestinian Authority which, I regret, encourages and incites terrorism. I suggest that these distinctions be maintained even as we fight terrorism and inciters of whatever kind."