Benjamin Netanyahu
Photo: Mark Israel Sellem
PM: Militant Islam will be defeated by end of century
Netanyahu addresses Presidential Conference, ponders whether Arabs, Muslims will be able to partake in global progress
Unable to attend Shimon Peres' Presidential Conference due to a leg injury,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
addressed the conference's closing panel via video conference on Thursday.
Among the other speakers were President Peres, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky.
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Discussing the "infinite possibilities of progress and technology," Netanyahu said that "Israel is number one in the world per capita in producing more conceptual products than any other nation – by far more than any other nations."
"The real question in our time is: will the Arab peoples, will the Islamic world, will the Islamic-Arab world and the Islamic-Iranian world all be able to partake in this bounty of progress?," he said.
Peres speaking at Presidential Conference
"I have no doubt that by the end of the century, militant Islam will be defeated. I don't think you can cloister young minds.
"The question is: can we get the devices of freedom, that is these technological breakthroughs, literally in the hands of young Muslims and young Arabs. I think the answer is: yes. That will happen. "
The 2012 Presidential Conference lasted three days and addressed various issues relating to economics, technology, security and politics. In the conference's opening event, Peres bestowed veteran US diplomat and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger with the Presidential Award of Distinction.
On Thursday's closing panel, Peres explained that the purpose of the conference was to explore "how we can err less."
"We wanted to see where global society was facing, we wanted to know more about the exciting developments in the fields of science and technology, brain reaserch innovations, challenges of tomorrow's medicine, the new media and the lessons of these changes on Israel, the Jewish people and the world. "
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