PM Netanyahu
PM NetanyahuHillel Meir/ TPS

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday spoke about the cooperation between Israel and other countries in the region.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said, "Today, Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Liku) will brief the Cabinet on regional cooperation between Israel and countries in the region."

"This cooperation has grown and developed greatly in recent years for two reasons: First, there is the joint assessment of common threats. I think that the dramatic events around us have underscored this point in recent days.

"We will not discuss this here, but we will discuss the positive results of this assessment and also the development of Israel as a global technology power, which the countries of the region also want to benefit from. Therefore, this is very important news for the State of Israel. In my opinion, there exist here the seeds of the genuine peace that could come in time on the basis of this cooperation."

Netanyahu also noted Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins Wednesday night and continues until Thursday at sunset.

"Today we will also mark Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day," he said. "The memory of the Holocaust is always with us as is appreciation of the heroism that established the State of Israel anew and gives us hope for the future. And this hope, first of all, is in our ability to defend ourselves by ourselves against those who would destroy us."

"On this issue I see the outrageous absurdity that people are going up to IDF soldiers, who are defending them from annihilation, and are calling them terrorists.

"They are not calling Hamas – which openly declares its intention to destroy the State of Israel, including these protesters – terrorists. They are not calling them terrorists. They attack the IDF soldiers who act to thwart this destruction. There can be no greater absurdity.

"I think that every day, but especially today, we are all aware of the great contribution that the soldiers of the IDF make to the security and future of Israel. I am proud of our soldiers and together with all government ministers we give them all the backing they need to do their holy work."