Netanyahu addresses office
Netanyahu addresses officeChaim Tzach/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today participated in a ceremony in honor of the New Year with office workers at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said at the ceremony, "We have great challenges, but we also have great achievements. I personally see it because this year, a special year for me, is a centenary. A hundred years ago, exactly this year, my grandfather Rabbi Nathan Milikowski Netanyahu, immigrated with his family. He then had seven children, then two more were added, my father was the oldest. They immigrated to Israel a hundred years ago. On my mother's side, it's approaching 125 years.

"They came to Lithuania from Warsaw, where my grandfather was a Hebrew school principal for several years, and then through Vienna, and eventually arrived in Jaffa and spent several months in Tel Aviv. There were 25,000 people in Tel Aviv at the time, and there were houses with red shingles. My father had to run from these houses to the beach because the sand was hot. They would run to the sea and cool their feet in the sea. Then my grandfather decided to move to Tzfat. He decided to run a Jewish, Israeli school of course, it took them three days to get from Tel Aviv to Tzfat. They took the Turkish train all the way to Tzemach, then took a ship from Tzemach to Tiberias and then took a stagecoach, which is horses and a carriage, to ascend to Rosh Pina and Tzfat - three days.

"My grandfather was very excited at the time. He saw this as strengthening the Galilee, strengthening settlement in the Land of Israel, and, in conjunction with his educational activity, he also traveled to the United States to speak in praise of the idea of ​​Zionism and the rebirth of our People. He saw it as a great wonder. The people who were persecuted here in exile are striking deep roots back in their homeland and building it,” Netanyahu noted.

Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to the Arab sector protest, "The changes we are making here are for all citizens of Israel, Jews and non-Jews alike. We're now making a huge investment in the non-Jewish public, such as there never was - NIS fifteen billion, to close gaps, to provide infrastructure. I call here, among other things, for the Arab public to cooperate with one fundamental infrastructure that we invested in, which did not exist at all - police stations in Arab localities; law enforcement in Arab localities.

"Yesterday I was sitting with Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan, and I spoke with the Deputy Commissioner of Police. I told him 'Add another eight hundred police officers to this effort.' I urge the Arab public to cooperate with the effort the State of Israel is making to bring law and order there as well, for our Arab residents, for all Israeli citizens - a state of law in all its components,” Netanyahu stressed.

He says, "Achievements are very big, but so are the challenges - and one doesn't contradict the other. Israel is in some ways a world power, but we're also challenged in a way that no power is ever unchallenged; they still call for our destruction. These factors vary from generation to generation, and in this generation there's another country that wants to be a power, which will erase us from here. We're determined to protect ourselves in all the necessary ways and we're doing that too.

"The challenges are great, the achievements are great, and I know there's only one way - to continue the achievements and to meet the challenges. And this way is the way of unity. And so this year I wish the people of Israel unity. I wish each and every one of you a good year. A good Heavenly decree for a unity government soon in our days,” Netanyahu concluded.