(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Wednesday), November 30th, approved the transfer, at this stage, of the tax funds to the Palestinian Authority.  The decision was made following a meeting of the forum of eight ministers, in the wake of the halt in unilateral steps by the Palestinian Authority.  In the event that the Palestinian Authority returns to unilateral measures, the transfer of the funds will be re-evaluated.

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(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)

Earlier this morning (Monday, November 28th), Israeli President Shimon Peres met with Jordanian King Abdullah II  at the Royal Palace in Amman, . The two leaders discussed various bilateral issues as well as ways to overcome obstacles in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and exchanged views regarding recent developments in the region. The meeting was held in a warm, friendly and open atmosphere.  President Peres and King Abdullah agreed to continue their talks in the near future.

Prior to leaving for Amman, President Peres met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  The two discussed the importance of strengthening the good strategic ties between Israel and Jordan.

During his meeting with King Abdullah, President Peres emphasized Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposal to hold a direct Israeli-Palestinian meeting forthwith in order to advance the peace process. The President stressed that reaching a solution of ‘two states for two peoples ‘ will be possible only via direct negotiations and not through appealing to the UN.

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(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s greetings to the Ethiopian community on the occasion of the Sigd holiday:

“My brothers, members of the Ethiopian community in Israel, I would like to greet you on the Sigd festival, the special holiday for the Ethiopian community, that symbolizes the covenant and the yearning to return to the Land of Israel.

While you have been celebrating this holiday for hundreds of years, it has received a different significance upon your return to the Land of Israel. Naturally, you have continued to celebrate it here, as we all celebrate the Jewish holidays. I am especially proud that the Knesset has adopted the Sigd festival as an official holiday like all of our holidays from the various communities, which together constitute the mosaic of the tribes of Israel.

Almost 30 years have passed since the beginning of the large scale immigration of the Ethiopian community and alongside prime ministers such as Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, I am proud to have had – and still have – the privilege of bringing members of the community to Israel and to see to their social welfare, their absorption and their becoming part of Israeli society.

I know that the way to the State of Israel and absorption in it has not always been easy and even today members of the community are finding certain things difficult, and we are trying to help them. However, integration has been impressive and it is encouraging; it gives the essence to this idea of returning to Zion and combining the absorption of the tribes of Israel.

We will continue to work towards the absorption and strengthening of the Ethiopian community in Israel and we will continue to celebrate our holiday, the Sigd festival.”

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(Communicated by the Bureau of Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon)

Earlier today, Tuesday, November 15th Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon opened WATEC Israel 2011, the international conference on water technologies, renewable energy and environmental control. More than 30 heads of state and ministers as well as 150 business delegations have come to Israel to attend the conference.

Deputy FM Ayalon said in his opening speech, “Israel is among the leading states in the world in water technologies and is willing to share its knowledge and experience with other countries so that together we can provide for the increasing needs of the world’s ever-growing population.”

During his speech, Ayalon addressed the leaders of the Arab states, reminding them that Israel’s hand, outstretched in peace, is not empty and that pooling our resources will benefit all of the people living in the Middle East. “Israel will benefit from a peace agreement, but you will also gain a genuine partner for development and the assured welfare of future generations in the region,” Ayalon said. “Unfortunately, many times in the history of the region, water was a reason for conflict and bloodshed. Today, I want to change this equation, together with you to turn water into a bridge to peace.”

“We, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are constantly looking at ways to conduct relations beyond traditional diplomacy. To this end, we conduct a form of Environmental Diplomacy and try to apply it also within our own region, here in the Middle East, and beyond.”

After the speech, Deputy FM Ayalon met with Uganda’s Minister for Water, the Czech Minister of the Environment and Georgia’s Commissioner for Economic Development.

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The Israel Council of Religious Communities is expected to meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today.  The Pope had met the Council in Nazareth during his visit to Israel in May 2009, and invited its members to meet again in Rome. The Council accepted the invitation, and the encounter tomorrow will be the first of its kind in the history of relations between Israel and the Holy See, and in the annals of relations between the Pope and the Holy Land.

The Council was established in June 2007, at an event convened in the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in Jerusalem. It was attended by the chief rabbis, the vice-president of the Sharia Appeal Court, the head of the Druze community, the head of the Greek Catholic  Church, the Greek Patriarch, the representative of the Armenian Patriarch, the head of the Maronite Church, the head of the Anglican Church, the representative of the Latin Patriarchate, the head of the Ethiopian Church, the head of the Armenian Catholic Church,  the  representative of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, the representative of the Coptic Church, the secretary general of the Baha’i community, the imam of the Circassian community, the head of the Ahmadi community, the head of the Samaritan community, and  the representative of the Beduin community.

Since its establishment, the Council endeavors to foster understanding and bring together people of different faiths and communities in Israel. It has helped to solve conflicts and differences throughout the country.

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”The IAEA report corroborates the position of the international community, and of Israel, that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

The significance of the report is that the international community must bring about the cessation of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons which endanger the peace of the world and of the Middle East.”

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OECD Deputy Sec-Gen praises Israel’s environmental efforts

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan met Monday evening, November 7th, with OECD Deputy Secretary-General Rintaro Tamaki and received from him the OECD’s first review of Israel’s environmental accomplishments.

OECD Dep. Secy.-Gen. Tamaki praised Israel’s impressive achievements in environmental protection in the past two years: “The Government of Israel is doing exceptional work and is investing considerable resources in socio-economic development while reducing harm to the environment and efficiently using natural resources.  Thus, for example, the scope of use of desalinated water in Israel is among the highest in the world, 42% of water consumption, and Israel’s desalination facilities are among the most energy efficient.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel’s entry into the OECD constitutes an important opportunity regarding investment in the field of environmental protection and called on the OECD to invest Israel’s project on oil alternatives.  “A genuine revolution is taking place here.  My Government has been in office for 2.5 years and we already see the change.  Just last month, the Government decided on ‘green growth’ – socio-economic growth and development without harming the environment.  This plan constitutes additional proof that preserving and advancing the environment need not come at the expense of economic development; the opposite is true.  Joining an advanced economy with the environment leads to new and clean industries and new growth engines,” the Prime Minister said.

Among the topics discussed at this evening’s meeting were the main achievements in environmental protection in the past two years, including: Hooking up the natural gas pipeline to Haifa, which significantly reduced air pollution in the area; reducing Israel’s dependence on oil and encouraging the use of alternative and renewable energy; activities to prevent ground pollution and the rehabilitation of polluted rivers.  Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the development of a national rail network is encouraging the use of public transportation and noted the establishment of three main parks – the Kishon in the north, Eshkol in the south and Ariel Sharon Park in the center.

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(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Thursday), 3 November 2011, ordered that Israel’s $2 million-per-annum participation in the budget of UNESCO be frozen, following the organization’s decision to accept the Palestinian Authority into its ranks. The Prime Minister ordered that the budget be directed to cooperative initiatives towards the same goals in the region.

Prime Minister Netanyahu: “Such steps will not advance peace; they will only push it further away. The only way to reach peace is through direct negotiations without preconditions.”

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(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)

Israel rejects the decision of the General Assembly of UNESCO of October 31st accepting Palestine as a member state of the organization. This is a unilateral Palestinian maneuver which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement.

This decision will not turn the Palestinian Authority into an actual state yet places unnecessary burdens on the route to renewing negotiations. Israel believes that the correct and only way to make progress in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians is through direct negotiations without preconditions. Consequently Israel welcomed the Quartet’s declaration of the 23rd September and is ready to work on this basis. The Palestinian move at UNESCO, as with similar such steps with other UN bodies, is tantamount to a rejection of the international community’s efforts to advance the peace process.

Israel thanks those countries which displayed a sense of responsibility and opposed this decision in the UNESCO General Assembly. It is disappointing that the European Union, which is working to renew the direct negotiations and opposes the Palestinian move, could not reach a unified position to prevent this decision.

Following the decision to accept Palestine as a regular member of UNESCO, the State of Israel will consider its further steps and ongoing cooperation with the organization.

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