Israeli government video boasts of year of success
Film released Netanyahu's office lists southern security fence, Be'er Sheva cyber park, low unemployment as wins, but makes no mention of Palestinians at all.
Improved roads, more kindergartens and a thriving economy, that's what the Israeli government has achieved in its first year, according to a video released Tuesday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
Against an animated backdrop, the two-minute video lists the achievements of the Netanyahu coalition since it took office in 2013, claiming it has maintained a thriving economy, even in the face of a global crisis.
"Despite growing unemployment in Europe, in Israel, unemployment reached its lowest rate," the video says, "and Israel's economy is ranked among the top growth countries in the world."
The video also outlines the government's investment in technology, building on the already strong presence of "the startup nation" in this field.
"We inaugurated a hi-tech park in Be'er Sheva, which will focus on the cyber industry," the video says. "The leading countries in the world are already there."
Furthermore, the film insists, the government "will begin the deployment of fiber optics all over Israel to enable access to fast internet for everyone."
Turning to security issues, the film says that in the south, the government has "completed the 242 km border fence and we stopped infiltrators from entering Israel cities."
It also hails the change in the way flights to and from Israel are managed, thereby purportedly boosting tourism in Israel.
"We also instituted the open-skies policy to lower the cost of fllights," the video says, "A record number of tourists visited Israel (in 2013)."
Looking ahead, the government vows to "continue to develop markets for Israel's economy in China, Latin America and other places."
It also highlights its ongoing fight to end Iran's atomic ambitions, saying that the government "will increase the pressure to ensure that Iran does not achieve the ability to develop nuclear weapons."
The video does not, however, make any mention of the Palestinians at all, omitting even the peace process that has been going on since last summer under US auspices.
