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Netanyahu. 'Security prime consideration'
Photo: Yaron Brener

PM: Understandings must maintain security

Netanyahu says expects understandings with US to maintain Israel's interests, 'primarily security'

In the backdrop of attempts to pass the settlement construction freeze proposal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a ceremony at the Israel Institute of technology for the "prime minister's award for innovation."

 

Speaking at the ceremony, Netanyahu said he is expecting understandings with the US administration which will maintain the State of Israel's interests, "primarily security."

 

"That is the only consideration I am guided by. Should I receive such an offer from the United States I shall present it to the cabinet right away," he said.

 

President of the Institute of Technology Professor Peretz Lavie also spoke at the ceremony and said that Israel is ranked 6th out of 160 countries in terms of innovation. "We are performing modern alchemy," he said. "We take ideas and make them into products."

 

Lavie added that 50% of the Israeli companies traded in the NASDAQ stock market are run by the institute's graduates.

 

Meanwhile, state officials were optimistic about the possibility of seeing a finalized US paper soon. The document is slated to include the details of the deal to freeze West Bank settlement construction for a period of 90 days.

 

"There are still several little details to be worked out but it appears that most of the details have been finalized," one source said. "The fighter jets issue has also been resolved and they are expected to arrive in 2015 after the Congress's approval."

 

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak held talks with US administration personnel on Wednesday night and met with Interior Minister Eli Yishai.

 

Referring to Yishai's demand from Barak to authorize construction in the West Bank following the freeze, one source said that no agreement has yet been reached on the matter.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.18.10, 20:54
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