00:00It is a profound honor for me to officially open the proceedings of our weekly cabinet meeting convened here at
00:04the historic First Knesset Museum in the heart of Jerusalem,
00:06our eternal, undivided, and united capital, a city that shall never be partitioned.
00:09Mr. Prime Minister, the floor is yours.
00:11Good morning to you.
00:14This is my second time visiting this location since the extensive restoration work was completed on the original Knesset building
00:19here at Beit Frumin.
00:22I think everyone who came here...
00:26I am truly struck by the profound uniqueness of this place, which served as the foundational seat for the renewal
00:31of our people's sovereignty in our ancestral land after thousands of long and difficult years.
00:36And it never fails to stir my heart with deep and lasting emotion.
00:40I also vividly remember back when I was a young boy in Jerusalem sitting across the street at a cafe
00:45and gazing up at this house.
00:47It was completely closed off back then, at least to young boys like me, but today it stands open to
00:51all the people of Israel and to our many visitors,
00:54from abroad, and so I warmly invite all of you, the citizens of Israel, to come here and draw inspiration
01:03from this rich heritage.
01:05Some truly significant work has been done here, a wonderful and highly original renovation.
01:10It is so authentic, so remarkably faithful to the original, and the atmosphere is enormous, very inspiring.
01:19At the beginning of today's remarks, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Captain Maos Israel
01:24Reqanati, of blessed memory.
01:29Maos left behind everything he had ever known, including his beloved fiancée, the woman he was meant to marry in
01:35just one short month,
01:36and he led his brave soldiers into the heat of the intense conflict in Lebanon, where he ultimately met his
01:41tragic end on the battlefield.
01:45May God avenge his blood, and may his memory be a blessing.
01:50I would like to take a moment to address a few important points regarding the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.
01:54We are currently engaged in significant operations there, actively seizing territory, clearing out hostile positions,
01:59and working tirelessly to defend Israel's northern communities.
02:01However, we are simultaneously facing a cunning adversary that is constantly attempting to outmaneuver us at every turn.
02:07Ah, six years ago, in a cabinet meeting, I warned about the drone threat at the time.
02:13I saw it primarily as a serious threat of a tool for targeting individuals, but since then, it has, of
02:20course, evolved.
02:21At the beginning of the war, having also observed the war in Ukraine,
02:25in Ukraine, I thought it could also serve as a tool on our own battlefield.
02:32At my request, the IDF installed glass on the tanks.
02:35That was an initial measure, and both the IDF and the Ministry of Defense have done many things over the
02:41years.
02:42You really need to understand this specific point.
02:44They have successfully thwarted many hundreds, if not thousands, of these attacks.
02:48Thousands, I can quite confidently say, if you include the UAVs.
02:51Thousands of separate attempts to strike our forces by both UAVs and drones, and they are truly succeeding in their
02:57efforts.
02:57Every time there is a new threat, they manage to thwart it.
03:01Today, we are facing the challenge of neutralizing fiber-optic drones.
03:04Fiber-optic drones are a specific type of threat.
03:06I have convened a special team, together with the Minister of Defense, including personnel from the Ministry of Defense,
03:19not just from the defense industries, but also from the civilian sector, the best minds in the country, and in
03:23my opinion, the best minds in the world.
03:27And I told them, I have had three separate meetings in the last two weeks, just to get everyone fully
03:33up to speed.
03:33Of course, there were several other meetings held before that, but I told them, in a meeting we convened just
03:37a few days ago,
03:38I told them something that they really surprised them.
03:40Kaikos quite a top bit.
03:43You have absolutely no budget limit whatsoever.
03:48Whatever the cost, it is what it is.
03:51I am fully aware that there are absolutely no limits to your creativity and your imagination,
03:56because you are quite simply the best in the world.
03:58Therefore, my directive to the team is to develop a comprehensive solution for this,
04:02as well as for any future threat that may potentially arise.
04:06I have absolutely no doubt that Israel will be the very first country,
04:10just as we have done in many other areas, to provide a truly complete solution to this problem as well.
04:16It requires great patience, sometimes even gritting our teeth,
04:20but we have an abundance of both patience and determination,
04:24and the proven ability to meet this challenge.
04:27We will surely achieve this as well.
04:30Regarding the Gaza Strip,
04:33over the weekend, we eliminated the arch-terrorist, Izz-Addin Al-Haddad.
04:38He was effectively the number one in Hamas' military wing, and that is the wing of Hamas.
04:43That is Hamas.
04:45He was finally eliminated in the Gaza Strip operation.
04:50This vile terrorist was responsible for the brutal murder, injury, and kidnapping
04:55of thousands of innocent Israelis and IDF soldiers.
04:59He carelessly exploited the kidnapping and prolonged captivity of those innocent hostages.
05:04He had heartlessly used them as his own human shields.
05:13And he is no longer with us.
05:15And it is important to say that I made two promises and the government along with me.
05:19First, I promised that we would bring back all of our hostages, down to the very last one,
05:23down to the Israeli hero, Ran Gvili.
05:25May his memory be a blessing.
05:27And we brought them back.
05:30There were doubts.
05:31We had no doubts.
05:32We brought them back.
05:32I promised a second thing,
05:34that all the architects of the massacre and all the architects of the kidnapping will be eliminated,
05:39down to the last one of them.
05:41And we are drawing closer.
05:43Indeed, we are very close now to bring this mission to a successful conclusion.
05:47We are maintaining our position and holding our ground in Gaza.
05:50Israel is no longer at 50%.
05:52It has already advanced to 60%.
05:54That is the status as of today.
05:58Perhaps it has changed since we, since we were last here together.
06:03We are tightening the grip on Hamas.
06:05We know exactly what our mission is, and our mission is one,
06:09to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.
06:14And we are carrying out this mission, too, with the help of our heroic soldiers.
06:19They are truly heroes.
06:21They are currently present in Lebanon, in Gaza, and they are also in the skies above Tehran.
06:26Our brave combat fighters, our skilled pilots, our dedicated women soldiers,
06:31and our courageous women pilots are all true heroes.
06:33We are also maintaining a very close and vigilant watch on the situation in Iran.
06:36I am scheduled to speak today, just as I do, every few days,
06:39with our dear friend, my friend, President Trump.
06:43I will surely hear his personal impressions regarding his recent trip from China,
06:47and perhaps other matters as well.
06:49There are, without a doubt, many significant possibilities.
06:52We are fully prepared to face any scenario that may arise at any time.
06:55For thousands of difficult years, we have fought to defend our hold on the Holy City of Jerusalem,
06:59ever since King David established our capital here, over 3,000 years ago.
07:05Of course, we had more background even before that, from our forefather Abraham.
07:10We certainly remember that as well.
07:12But ever since we established our capital city, we have been forced to fight to defend it.
07:15We were a sovereign nation, and we were also compelled to fight off those who occupied us.
07:19At times, we were successful, and at other times, we failed.
07:33And that is why we achieved the impossible, and returned to our capital after thousands of years of exile.
07:39And there is no other nation that has done such a thing.
07:41First of all, there are very few nations whose capital today is the same capital they had 3,000 years
07:45ago.
07:46But there is certainly no other case where a nation lost its capital, lost its sovereignty, and lost its land.
07:53And has returned to establish its sovereignty and its capital in its original place.
07:57This demonstrates the strength of the people of Israel.
08:00And this strength is being revealed today on the battlefield by our wonderful generation of warriors,
08:04as well as by our people, who truly stand firm in the face of all these challenges.
08:13And so, strengthening Jerusalem is an organic, natural part of our nation's revival,
08:22both during the War of Independence and in our ongoing rebirth.
08:25Certainly, since the dawn of Zionism, we have been investing in, building, and developing Jerusalem,
08:31and so have the governments of Israel.
08:32However, no other government has ever achieved this, quite like our own administration has,
08:37pursuing it with greater intensity, enthusiasm, and momentum.
08:41We are doing this in construction, development, heritage, tourism, security, and innovation.
08:47And specifically, I want to mention four, four decisions we are making today.
08:53Historic decisions.
08:55The first is the Western Wall.
08:57It has become clear in this war that Iran is holding nothing back.
09:03She marketed herself as a threat.
09:05She doesn't care at all.
09:07Not about the holy sites of Islam.
09:08Not about the holy sites of Christianity.
09:10And certainly not about the holy sites of Judaism.
09:12And she launched missiles here.
09:14She endangered, of course, the holy sites, the worshippers, and civilians alike.
09:18Therefore, today we are introducing a special budget for the protection of the Western Wall,
09:26for the development of its infrastructure, and also for the development of archaeological excavations,
09:34which always uncover new findings that strengthen our whole,
09:39the historical whole of our people, on this wonderful and holy place.
09:43It also strengthens Jewish identity.
09:46It's part of our plan.
09:47Well, first of all, a major investment in the Western Wall.
09:50Secondly, we are investing in the Shalva Center.
09:53Are you familiar with the Shalva Center?
09:59The absolutely and truly extraordinary, deeply moving human performances delivered by his incredibly talented singers.
10:05However, it is really so much more than just that simple description.
10:08This is a center that clearly expresses our profound and unwavering commitment to all people living with disabilities within our
10:14society.
10:14And we must always remember that a society is only ever as strong as the care and support we provide
10:18to its most vulnerable members.
10:19That is exactly our focus today.
10:24We are doing more than just strengthening Shalva.
10:27We are achieving something far greater.
10:29We are turning it into a comprehensive crisis response center, providing vital emergency support for people with disabilities, wherever they
10:39are.
10:40We witnessed this problem. We encountered it during the war.
10:43And we are determined to provide a solution here, not just for Jerusalem, but for all populations living with disabilities.
10:50And in my opinion, this is a significant breakthrough.
10:52I am confident that our collective creativity and our deep human commitment will truly set a precedent, not just for
10:59the State of Israel, but for many other nations across the globe.
11:03The third item on the list is the Mamila Pool.
11:05Mr. Mayor, I have to ask you, how many times have we actually managed to visit that particular place together?
11:10Every single time I try to bring it up during those brief supervised walks that they finally approved for me.
11:16What about the pool? What about the Mamila Pool?
11:18Why am I asking you this specific question?
11:21Because back when I was just a Jerusalem teenager, a young Jerusalem kid, I used to visit the Mamila Pool
11:26quite often, and it always truly amazed me.
11:28This massive pool. From ancient times, I collected all the rainwater runoff from the Mamila Basin, and it was always
11:33full of thick mud and all sorts of old forgotten debris.
11:37Up until this very day. Up until this very day.
11:39But no, not starting from tomorrow.
11:41Because today, we are finally making a final decision.
11:44And you told me, I am ready to do absolutely anything.
11:46Prime Minister, we could transform this area into a beautiful public park, a lovely spot with a pond, filling it
11:52with fresh water, to serve the children of Jerusalem and all the residents of this city.
11:57But you told me that we only really need one single thing.
12:03Starts with a K, or a, well, let's just say that the budget really doesn't matter.
12:07And that is exactly what we are going to be doing today.
12:10Another hidden gem in Jerusalem.
12:11And one more thing, there is a heritage center in a tarot that showcases the settlement and will also depict
12:18important moments in our history.
12:20This is the fourth project we have done.
12:22Among other things, there is much more.
12:25We are currently connecting our deepest, most ancient roots, the holy city of Jerusalem, to our bright and promising future.
12:31And the government is set to make a very significant decision today in order to actively promote and advance the
12:37cutting-edge technologies of the future that are already present among us right now.
12:42This is artificial intelligence, the national digital moving to the Prime Minister's office, as we did with the Cyber Directorate.
12:49This was a decision that stemmed simply from the centralization, from the centrality of these issues to Israel's security.
12:56And I want to express my appreciation, as I have always expressed to the ministers who held these portfolios previously.
13:04We are also moving forward to develop new initiatives and make critical decisions regarding the future of energy, our environment,
13:10and our essential infrastructure.
13:12The State of Israel will continue to lead the way in these vital areas, advancing not only the prosperity of
13:17our own country, but the well-being of all of humanity.
13:19Truly, there is no better or more fitting place on this earth to make these monumental decisions than here in
13:24the city of Jerusalem.
13:26There is no better place to make these decisions than in the first Neset, where everything I spoke about was
13:32still just a dream.
13:33Today, it is no longer a dream. We are making it a reality.
13:36I thank the ministers. I thank the members of Knesset.
13:39I want to thank you all very much. You are all very welcome.
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