Cabinet communique

At the weekly Cabinet meeting held Sunday, 22 February 2009:

"Last Friday, President Shimon Peres charged MK Benjamin Netanyahu with the responsibility of forming a new government in Israel. As one who was involved in forming coalitions and governments for decades, I am aware not only of the complexity of the task but also of its urgency and its importance. Forming a coalition is, in effect, laying the foundation upon which the State of Israel will stand in the coming years. Therefore, and for the benefit of the Israeli people, I would like to congratulate MK Benjamin Netanyahu and wish him success.

As one who is aware of the range of issues on the agenda and of the tough decisions down the road, I believe that the State of Israel needs a strong, stable government that reflects the will of the people and that will win its confidence, in order to deal with the problems in the diplomatic, security and socio-economic spheres. These are complex challenges that require the attention of our best forces. From my perspective, it is also important that it be done quickly. I call on all those involved and/or who will be involved in the coalition negotiations to work efficiently and quickly in order to form – as quickly as possible – a government that will enjoy full authority and that will be able to govern effectively.

It is self-evident, that until such a government is established, the current government will continue to conduct affairs of state, with full responsibility, even in this transition period. At the same time, we are ready for an orderly transfer of power; all government bodies are intensively engaged so that the new government may enter office as quickly as possible."

2. Jewish People Policy Planning Institute officials briefed the Cabinet on the JPPPI 2008 assessment.  They noted that at the beginning of 2009, the State of Israel and the Jewish people are facing a range of complex and severe challenges and threats, and called attention to the change of administration in the US, geopolitical uncertainty, a continuing erosion in the US's global position and the slide toward a multi-polar world, the strengthening of Iran, Israel as a pretext for the dissemination of a new anti-Semitism, the risk to Israel's image as a refuge for the Jewish people against the background of growing calls for its destruction, the economic crisis and the severe below to Jews' economic status, the impairment of the ability to maintain community life and education systems against the background of growing competition vis-a-vis eroding philanthropy and the diversion of contributions to outside the community, and changes in the traditional family structure. The JPPPI's recommendations are as follows:

• Periodic cooperation exercises between the government and Jewish organizations in order to strengthen Jewish people crisis management;
• Strengthened links between the government and geopolitical actors in the Jewish organizations;
• Enhanced ties between Jewish communities and the Hispanic and Afro-American communities in the US;
• Increased cooperation between the State of Israel and the Jewish people in dealing with the challenges of the new anti-Semitism;
• Identification of common interests between the western world and Israel and increased cooperation in their regard;
• The government should consider ways to lower the cost of Jewish education in the Diaspora;
• The removal of constraints to, and the creation of support networks for, the integration of women in the workplace.

3. The Cabinet decided that "100 Years of the First Hebrew City (Tel Aviv-Jaffa)" will be the theme for 61st year of Israel's Independence.