At the start of the Cabinet meeting this morning (Sunday), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ministers held a moment of silence in memory of Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, who passed away on Friday.
Netanyahu paid tribute to her, saying she was “a groundbreaking leader” who led the city for nearly three decades. “Anyone who knew her knows her deep commitment to the city, her enthusiasm, her initiative, and also her ability to withstand difficulties - including the difficulties that were unjustly placed on her by a legal attack, from which I was pleased she was ultimately cleared. But she faced it with dignity.”
Netanyahu added: “She was also very committed - as I know, and each of you can attest - because every conversation with her was: ‘What can you do for Netanya? What can we do together for Netanya?’ Without exaggeration, I don’t recall a single conversation with her that did not include - or was not driven by - this mission. Therefore, with your permission, I ask that we stand for a moment of silence in her memory.”
Later in the meeting, Netanyahu addressed the security situation in the north and south. “We continue to strike terrorism on multiple fronts. Over the weekend, the IDF struck in Lebanon, and we will continue doing whatever is necessary to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its ability to threaten us. The same applies in the Gaza Strip.”
According to him, “Since the ceasefire, Hamas has not stopped violating it, and we are acting accordingly. There were several attempts to infiltrate our territory beyond the yellow line and to harm our soldiers. We thwarted these attempts with great force and responded by exacting a very heavy price. Many terrorists were eliminated, and terrorists were also captured from the tunnels in Rafah.”
Reports claiming that Israel requires external approval for its military actions are, he said, “a total lie.”
“All the talk that ‘we need to obtain approval’ from this or that party - it is simply a complete falsehood. We act independently of anyone. Immediate actions to thwart attacks are carried out automatically by the IDF. As for the responses, they go through the Defense Minister and ultimately come to me, and we decide independently of any party - and that is how it must be. Israel is responsible for its own security.”