Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the start of the government's weekly cabinet meeting on recent remarks made by IDF Chief-of-Staff Gadi Eizenkot.
"Last week there was a debate over remarks by the Chief-of-Staff. This is a pointless debate. What the Chief-of-Staff said is self-evident, and in any case, the IDF and the security forces operate in this manner. Everything that was said afterwards was said either out of misunderstanding or a desire to score political points. Both are unacceptable. We need to put this matter aside and move on and this is exactly what we will do at this meeting."
"Today the Chief-of-Staff will give the Cabinet a security briefing on the situation in the region. The challenges and threats are increasing and we are preparing accordingly. Government policy is to take strong action, both defensively and offensively, in defending our borders by operating both within and beyond them. This is the reason why – relative to other countries in the region – the State of Israel is in a strong position, and we will see to it that this continues."