Jan 16, 2011 (KATAKAMI / PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE) --- Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today:
"I would like to direct your attention to the book of Government working plans. It seems to me that this is the first time that the Government has put its goals, the plans of every ministry, in a book. The only way to get anywhere is to know where you are going. Here, we are doing something that involves a certain degree of daring because we are writing, in the most measurable way possible, what we want to achieve in every ministry. I will request that the ministries present their working plans and goals to us. I have done so in my various Government posts, especially as Finance Minister. We measure the successes in relation to the goals. I am pleased to see this attitude spread to other ministries, including Transportation, Education, Communications, etc., and to every course of action that we decide upon. We want to see clear results; therefore, the Government sets goals and – publicly and transparently – measures their achievement. I think that this is a change of attitude regarding the work ethic at the ministries. I hope that this is the start of a long tradition.
One of our goals is to achieve peace and security with our neighbors in the region. The region in which we live is unstable. Everyone sees this today. We see this at several points throughout the Middle East. I would say that there is a great island of instability in the geographic expanse in which we live. We hope that stability will be restored. We hope that there will be quiet and security. We are monitoring developments. If there is one conclusion, one clear lesson that arises from all that we see around us, it is that we need to lay the foundations of security in any agreement that we make. We cannot simply say 'We are signing a peace agreement', close our eyes and say 'We did it' because we do not know with any clarity that the peace will indeed be honored. We would increase any agreement's chances of being honored by including within it stable and solid security arrangements.
But there is another reason why we insist on peace agreements with a very strong security infrastructure and this is because peace can unravel. It could be that there are regime, and other, changes that may not be expected today, but which could happen tomorrow. Therefore, this Government's policy is to bind peace and security together because security ensures peace and protects the state of Israel should it unravel.
Today, we submit for Cabinet approval the appointment of Yohanan Danino as the next Inspector-General of the Israel Police. Yohanan has the vast experience of 28 years of excellent service in the Israel Police. He is creative; he is a leader. I think that he could move the Israel Police forward in enforcing the rule of law, fighting crime and strengthening Israelis' personal security. He will create not just a sense of security, but a more secure reality with everything regarding the Israel Police.
Today, we will discuss the State of Israel's membership in UN WOMEN. I would like to commend Deputy Minister Gila Gamliel, who will present the issue; she is also leading it. We are one of the leading countries in the world in advancing the status of women. In recent weeks, we passed a series of laws increasing the representation of women in public companies, encouraging the employment of mothers, etc. I note this because in our region there is at least one country in which women are stoned and there is a general problem of women's rights, of human rights in general and those of minorities in particular; not in the State of Israel. Whoever talks about us as an exceptional country is right, we are very exceptional in this regard. We are also an island of stability, rights and progress that others could learn from." (*) |
|
|
