Cabinet Communique
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 26 January 2014):

1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks:

"Good morning. I returned from Davos this morning along with Justice
Minister Tzipi Livni. This was a successful visit. The purpose of the visit
to Davos was to detail the advantages of the Israeli hi-tech and cyber
defense industries to the leading forces in the world, both countries and
new non-state forces, such as international organizations that are as strong
as countries, even major powers. The good news is that Israel is very much
in demand.

The interest in Israel is very great. The desire to operate here is very
great. I estimate that in the coming year we will see the results of both
this activity and that of our other actions, i.e. the entry of new companies
into Israel, especially in the cyber market, and the expansion of their
business activities within Israel, which is already happening.

I met there with the largest companies, including Google, Yahoo, Cisco,
Microsoft and various cyber companies in both individual and group meetings.

It is widely understood that in the information age information must be
protected, otherwise there will be chaos, the jungle. This is becoming a
positive component in all new economic developments. The assessment is that
Israel, due to our special circumstances could offer various solutions in
this area. It is clear that there is a great opportunity and challenge for
us here, first of all to ensure a favorable – and not hostile – business
climate for these companies, and secondly, to ensure that our education
system will be able to deliver the right tools to our boys and girls so that
they will be able to continue to develop with the ability to bring results.

I held talks in Davos with representatives from all continents: With US
Secretary of State John Kerry, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot,t with Mexican President Enrique Pena
Nieto and with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. All of them are
important countries with markets and opportunities and important diplomatic
significance.

Of course, they would all like to see progress in the diplomatic process
with the Palestinians. I made it clear that the desire is there and I think
they also understand this.

I must say that the main interest was in regard to Iran's 'assault of
pleasantness.' Here, perhaps in contrast to what was depicted in the talks
with the leaders, there was greater sharpness and greater clarity regarding
the contradictory and mendacious messages that came up in Rouhani's speech.
Rouhani said that Iran was against international involvement in Syria, but
Iran is the country that is most involved and aids the Assad regime in
perpetrating mass slaughters on a daily basis.

He said that he was against the killing of innocents, but several days
previously dozens of people were executed in Iran, most of whom, I can
assure you, were innocent. He said that they favored free access to
technology even as Iran denies its citizens free access to the Internet. He
said that he favored the recognition of all countries in the Middle East and
refused to answer the pointed questions that were directed to him about
recognizing the State of Israel. The regime there calls for our destruction
on an almost daily basis. Finally, the most important and most significant
thing, Rouhani said that Iran would not dismantle even one centrifuge.

If Iran persists in saying this it means that the permanent agreement, which
is the goal of any diplomatic process with Iran, cannot succeed. In effect,
Iran is insisting on maintaining its ability to attain [enough] fissionable
material for a bomb without any time constraints following the breakthrough.
This means that many of the things which we have been saying will come
true – are indeed coming true. Of course, there was also an attempt there to
break through the sanctions regime. US Secretary of State Kerry told me that
the US would act in order to maintain the existing sanctions, which is
important, but it is important to see the test of its implementation.

In any case, Iranian President Rouhani's remark that Iran would not
dismantle even one centrifuge, alongside the interview given by the
'exceedingly moderate' Foreign Minister Zarif, in which he made it clear
that Iran has an ideological agenda that brings it into perpetual conflict
with the West and with the US, because it aspires to see a different world,
a different world order, and you know what he means, the combination of
these two remarks is causing people to understand that the reality vis-à-vis
Iran is not rosy. There is a problem here. We know the truth. There is a
regime here that, under cover of an assault of smiles, is trying to arm
itself with nuclear weapons, to reach the status of a threshold state that
could achieve nuclear weapons very quickly, and a country that has not
changed its true ideology at all.

There are arguments inside Iran. There is an internal struggle within Iran
over domestic reforms, but there is no change, not as of now, neither in the
military nuclear program nor in Iran's aggressive policy throughout the
Middle East and in regard to terrorism well beyond the Middle East.
Therefore, such a country cannot be allowed to have the ability to produce
nuclear weapons. This has been, and remains, our policy. I assure you that
whoever we came into contact with there heard matters clearly both from
myself and from President Peres."

2. Pursuant to Article 12 of the 1959 State Service Law (Appointments), the
Cabinet decided to appoint Gilad Semama as Director General of the Senior
Citizens Affairs Ministry in place of Aharon Azoulay.

3. The Cabinet marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day
and Struggle Against Anti-Semitism Day.

Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister Silvan
Shalom, Jewish Agency Director Natan Sharansky, Yad Vashem Chairman Avner
Shalev, Gideon Meir from the Foreign Ministry, Tel Aviv University Kantor
Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry head Prof. Dina Porat,
and a Mossad representative briefed ministers on the upsurge in displays of
anti-Semitism around the world in 2013, activities to instil awareness of
the Holocaust in young people and in Israeli and global public opinion and
strengthening links with, and support for, Jewish communities around the
world.