(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Tuesday, 20 March 2018), in Dimona, at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:
"We have just come from the
Negev Conference. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri quoted an interesting fact there. He came several years ago, to this place in Dimona, with the then mayor, our friend, the late Gaby Lalouche. Gaby begged him to allocate money to demolish 3,000 empty and abandoned flats in Dimona. Not long ago we signed a roof agreement for 30,000 flats, which will triple the population of Dimona and bring the city population to 120,000. The multi-story towers are reaching to the sky. There are parks, squares and industrial zones. It is extraordinary and it tells the whole story.
We are committed to developing the Negev. We are doing things that no government has done. We are investing here, in the entire country, tens of millions of shekels that will, in the end, reach billions, in order to advance this development and continue it with full vigor. Whoever travels along the highways or goes about here on the streets sees the change which is at its peak.
Today we will be briefed by the Periphery Minister on the working plans to advance the south. I must say immediately that it is our intention to cancel the periphery. First of all we will bring it closer and then we will cancel it and because of this we are here. We are moving the Galilee and the Negev closer to the center and we are bringing the center closer to the north and the south.
For this work we are allocating great resources in health, social welfare, employment, transportation, housing and additional areas. Dimona is important to us. The Negev is important to us. We will make additional decisions to spur this great momentum. I think that there is also social justice here.
We all saw the shocking movie about what happened here in the 1950s. We will open all this material and make it accessible to all Israelis but the heritage must be known and above all one needs to know the future. We are delineating the future here and we are marching toward it with certainty.
From here I would like to deliver a message to anyone who tries to attack our citizens. The equation is simple: Whoever tries to hurt us – we will hurt them. Israel will not tolerate any attempt to attack us. We will take determined action in order to prevent this. It must be understood – it is impossible to attack us without paying a very heavy price.
We heard Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen make outrageous, anti-American remarks. Something is happening here that has not happened in decades, perhaps it never happened since the Palestinian Authority was established.
The American administration has stopped spoiling the Palestinians. It is demanding from them basic things that should have been demanded a long time ago: Recognize the State of Israel's right to exist, with the State of Israel being the national state of the Jewish people, stop supporting terrorism, and stop financing and encouraging terrorism.
The Palestinians are in shock and like a spoiled child who has been spoiled for years, they are suddenly being told: 'Enough, no more.' And they are in shock and being in shock they are losing their senses and their truth is coming to light: They are not interested in dialogue and they are refusing to make peace.
Our hand is always extended in peace, true peace. I must say that in any situation, with or without an agreement, we will always, always, see to Israel's security."