The full remarks:
“I am now returning from a historic visit, a very important summit meeting with President Trump. This meeting took place, of course, on New Year’s Eve. It was very moving for my wife and me to stand alongside the President and his wife and celebrate the arrival of the new year, which we hope will be even better than the past year.
President Trump asked me: ‘Tell me, do you like fireworks?’ I told him: ‘Look, it’s better than other things that explode in the sky, but we’ve also learned to handle that well.’ And he, of course, understood that. And there was, overall, great understanding during the visit and great identification. I think it contributed to strengthening the dual connection, both between Israel and the United States, and of course the personal connection between us.
We discussed all the developments in the region. I am first and foremost addressing Gaza – he was unequivocal. He reiterated this both in our internal discussions and in front of public opinion at the press conference there. He said this: ‘The necessary condition is that Hamas disarms.’ There is no other option. This is a necessary and fundamental condition for the realization of his 20-point plan. He made no concessions on this and showed no flexibility on this matter.
We also discussed Iran, of course. We reiterated our joint position of zero enrichment on the one hand, and of course the need to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and to monitor the sites under close and real supervision. These discussions took place, of course, at the beginning of the events unfolding in Iran, the dramatic events. And you heard the President address this shortly thereafter. We, of course, identify with this. The Israeli government, the State of Israel, and my policy. We identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom and justice. And it is very possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their destiny into their own hands.
Regarding Venezuela, I want to express the support of the entire government for the decisive decision and decisive action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to this region of the world as well. I must say that in Latin America in general, there is currently a turnaround that we are witnessing, and several countries are returning to the American axis, and not surprisingly, also to a connection with the State of Israel. We welcome this, we congratulate President Trump on his decision, and we also salute the American military forces that carried out a perfect operation. We know how to appreciate such a thing.
We are also carrying out other operations here in our region, and I am first and foremost referring to the effort of the Israel Police to restore governance in the Negev. We will do everything to prevent the Negev from becoming the Wild West, and finally, there is an initiative here, and I congratulate Minister Ben-Gvir on leading this initiative. I intend to visit the Negev with him in the coming days to see our actions up close, and this is not the only initiative. The welcome change made in the Prison Service, after we were told for years that nothing could be done because it would lead to terrible developments. The exact opposite happened. And I also welcome the building of the National Guard’s strength and, of course, the strengthening of the Israel Police. All these things are welcome, and I believe the entire government expresses support and backing.”
– Video: Roee Avraham/GPO,
Sound: Yehezkel Kandel/GPO.
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