Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday, 9 Shevat during the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting addressed upcoming visits to begin with his trip to Britain. Mr. Netanyahu expressed optimism, hinting at the change of rule in the USA following the presidential elections, commenting “We are at the start of a significant diplomatic period for the State of Israel. This afternoon I am leaving for Britain in order to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. I will discuss with them how to deepen bilateral diplomatic, security, economic and technological ties, including cooperation in the field of cyber.

In the diplomatic sphere, I intend to emphasize the need for a common front against Iran’s defiant aggression which has raised its head in recent days. This must be done on an ongoing basis, but especially in light of Iran’s defiance against the international order.

Given the plight of the residents of Jerusalem last week, I called Mayor Nir Barkat, with the concurrence of the Finance Minister and the Jerusalem Affairs Minister, and I asked him to come here and stop the strike so that we might have a proper discussion – with assistance of government ministries – on a solution for Jerusalem’s budgetary problem. Jerusalem is dear to us all and we will try and find a creative and responsible solution in order to move the city forward.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)