Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the cabinet meeting today (Sunday) with a statement about the State of Israel's support for the Iranian people's struggle against the ayatollahs' rule, noting that the current moment may be "the moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands."
Netanyahu spoke about his historic visit with President Trump, which took place on New Year's Eve, during which they discussed developments in the region, including the situation in Gaza and Iran. During the meeting with Trump, the two discussed the issue of dealing with Hamas, and the American president reiterated his position that "the essential condition is that Hamas disarms."
"We discussed all of the developments in the region," Netanyahu began. "I will focus my remarks first on Gaza. He was unequivocal. He repeated this both in our private conversations and to public opinion at the press conference there. He said it: 'The essential condition is that Hamas disarms.' There is no other option. This is an essential and fundamental condition for the implementation of his 20-point plan. He made no concessions and showed no flexibility on this issue."
"We also discussed Iran, of course. We reiterated our joint position of zero enrichment on one hand, and the need to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and oversee the sites with tight and genuine supervision. These discussions took place at the beginning of the developing, dramatic events in Iran. You heard the President refer to this shortly thereafter. We, of course, identify with this. The Government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my policy, we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice. It is very possible that we are standing at the moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands," he said.
Addressing the capture and arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, Netanyahu stated: "I want to express the entire Government’s support for the determined decision and action of the United States to restore freedom and justice to that part of the world as well. I must say that across Latin America right now, we are seeing a transformation; several countries are returning to the American axis and, not surprisingly, to a connection with the State of Israel. We welcome this. We congratulate President Trump on his decision. We also salute the American military forces who carried out a perfect operation. We know how to appreciate such things."
He continued: "We are also carrying out other operations here in our region, and I am speaking first and foremost about the efforts of the Israel Police to restore governance in the Negev. We are going to do everything to prevent the Negev from becoming the 'Wild South,' and finally, there is an initiative here. I congratulate Minister Ben-Gvir for leading this initiative. I intend to visit the Negev with him in the coming days to see our actions up close, and this is not the only initiative."
"[There is also] the welcome change that has been made in the Prison Service, after we were told for years that nothing could be done because it would lead to terrible developments. The exact opposite happened. I also welcome the building of the National Guard's strength and, of course, the strengthening of the Israel Police. All these things are welcome, and I believe the entire Government expresses its support and backing," Netanyahu said.