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Israel: World Must Take Action, Not Words Against Syria's Chemical Weapons Massacres
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Joel Leyden Jerusalem, Israel --- August 26, 2013 ... Part of the following was communicated by the Israel Cabinet Secretariat to the Israel News Agency. At the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks: "What happened in Syria is both a terrible tragedy and an awful crime. Our hearts go out to the women, children and babies, the civilians who were so brutally attacked by weapons of mass destruction. From this we draw three conclusions: One, this situation must not be allowed to continue. Two, the most dangerous regimes in the world must not be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapons in the world. And three, Israel expects that this will stop, of course, but we must always remember our sages' ancient principle: "If we are not for ourselves, who will be for us?" That is to say, our finger must always be on the pulse. Ours is a responsible finger and if necessary, it will also be on the trigger. The Israeli government will always know to defend our people and our state against whoever attacks us, tries to attack us or has attacked us. This is the principle that has consistently, constantly and responsibly guided this government, and thus it will continue. Medecins Sans Frontieres says hospitals it supports in Syria treated over 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms", of whom 360 have died. The medical NGO said the patients had arrived in three hospitals in the Damascus area on 21 August - when opposition activists say chemical attacks were launched against rebels. Moving towards US military action in Syria, a senior Obama administration official said that there was “very little doubt” that Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s army had used chemical weapons against civilians last week. Israel President Shimon Peres called upon the United Nations today to appoint the Arab League to set up a temporary government in Syria to stop the bloodshed. Israel has been careful to avoid being drawn into Syria's civil war which would divert media attention away from Assad's attacks on civilians. The Syria government has murdered more than 100,000 people to date. Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace laureate, said the international community must first remove all chemical weapons from Syria so they cannot be used again. Peres said "foreigners will not understand what is going on in Syria" so the UN should task the Arab League with setting up a government. Addressing the Israeli Cabinet on other issues, Netanyahu said: "Today's Israeli Cabinet meeting is ahead of the opening of the school year in another two days. I congratulate the Education Minister and the people at his ministry, as well as the principals, teachers and pupils on the start of the new school year. We are trying to instill in our children two things – values and excellence. Values are the Tanakh, history, literature and the history and values of our people. This is one layer and the second thing is excellence, the ability to compete in the new world, in mathematics, the sciences, English and computers. These are the basic tools that we want to instill in them. I must say that very important work has been done in this field. The previous government saw an increase in the achievements on the international exams, and of course the success at the science Olympiads. I attribute very great importance to this. We are a people of achievements and we will garner achievements. This is the basis of excellence in everything I know – in the elite units of the IDF, in high-tech, in creative endeavors, in literature and in the arts. These things, the combination of values and achievements, this is what will make Israeli children succeed and this is what will ensure our future. But there is something else that will ensure our future and it is the simple ability to learn. The previous government gave 300,000 children free education from age three. They are enjoying this today, almost 300,000. This is a savings per family, for each child, of between NIS 8,000-10,000 and more per annum. This is new, this is heart-warming. One must go to these new classrooms, and I intend to do so on Tuesday, to see the joy, first of all of the parents, the children and the teachers. There is a very serious change here." Education Minister Rabbi Shai Piron also discussed the opening of the school year: "Over two million pupils will march into kindergartens and schools this week. In the coming school year we will be faced with many challenges, which are another stage and another layer in the constant improvement of the Israeli educational system. The Israeli educational system especially believes in the high abilities of the educational staffs and the pupils. In the coming year we would like to develop innovative educational initiatives and, as the Prime Minister has pointed out, we know that the People of the Book is the people that has brought to the world especially high proportions of Nobel laureates, writers, great men and women of letters, entrepreneurs and inventors, and did so due to the central place of education. We will continue to focus on developing and cultivating all types of excellent. We will allow many pupils to discover the excellence within them. We will continue to lead the State of Israel to the place that it truly deserves to be in the family of nations. The school year will also be marked by the resumption of learning goals. The Prime Minister, who is deeply involved in education, and I have discussed this very often. Learning goals must be adapted to the 21st century. This also touches on the question of the content and tools of learning, the means by which we learn. We will excel and believe in the core values of Israeli society because we are here to build an exemplary society which has a place for all of its pupils, a society that motivates its youth to discover the solidarity with the whole, to love the country, be proud of its heritage, include the other, take up justice and righteousness, and treat inter-personal relations with dignity. Israel believes in and will love every pupil. We will integrate special-needs children, new immigrants, residents of the periphery, those of all faiths, and we will give them all the power to dream. We will allow them to develop their talents to the fullest. We will encourage all of them to contribute to society. We will do all that is possible, this is a very great mission to which must be added the closing of gaps and the providing of equal opportunity to every pupil everywhere. We will continue to believe in, to love and to excel because this is the only way to develop to the fullest the historic goal that is the basis of the State of Israel. This is the opportunity to bless Israel's educators, the teachers, principals and supervisors, the staff at the Education Ministry, local authority employees and the educational networks in Israel. Israel is blessed with splendid educators; they are the heroes of our culture. I would like to conclude by citing a prayer attributed to Maimonides, who wrote: 'And we, those who teach the children of our people, give us lasting courage and the strength to do the work of heaven and faith, that we should not slacken and that our hands not weaken.' In this school year, over 140,000 first graders will be joining the educational system. I am excited along with them and their parents. I would like to welcome you, the new first graders, to years of good and significant learning. The educational system belongs to all of us and it is the insurance certificate for Israel's future. I wish all of us a good school year." Israel Education Minister Piron briefed ministers on preparations for the opening of the school year and discussed the educational and values-based challenges faced by his ministry. Following the briefing, the Cabinet held an in-depth discussion regarding the way to instill values and excellence in the pupils in the education system. The Israel Cabinet unanimously approved the appointment of Yossi Cohen as National Security Adviser and Chairman of the National Security Council The Cabinet a ministerial committee – to be chaired by Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom – on the advancement, development and implementation of renewable energies. The Israeli Cabinet discussed a national plan to prevent and reduce air pollution and discussed the issue of sewage, coordination and improving government regulation. The Cabinet decided to change the name of the Ministry of Energy and Water to the Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water. The title of the minister will be changed accordingly. The Israel Ministry of Transportation, National Infrastructures and Road Safety will be renamed the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety. The title of the minister will be changed accordingly.
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