Israel’s economy is very strong, still needs to build ‘independent arms industry’
He compared the situation in which Israel is in ancient Greece saying: “We are Athens and Sparta, or perhaps Super-Sparta. We have no choice. “
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Tuesday that if there was a lesson learned from the massacre of October 7, it is that Israel must create an “independent arms industry” which can “resist international constraints”.
Netanyahu said that her Monday comments on Monday on the implementation of an economy with autarkic characteristics were “misunderstood” by the media, adding that “the markets understood what I said”.
“The Shekel is strong, even stronger than before the start of the war,” he said. “In the past year, our scholarship has become stronger than the American S&P.”
The Prime Minister said that although he does not underestimate international embargo attempts, in the field of high-tech and AI, nobody does it better than Israel. Even in the defense industries, where Israel receives heavy political reactions, exports have skyrocketed throughout the war.
It was the achievements that have strengthened Netanyahu’s determination to make Israel economically independent and encourage foreign investors to invest in the country.
“We will create an independent weapon industry, very powerful, very strong, which will resist all international constraints and will ensure the security of the State of Israel,” he said.
“The future belongs to those who innovate,” he concluded, “and Israel is the nation of innovation.”
Netanyahu explained on Monday the need to protect the essential industries for national security, saying: “I am a defender of the free market, but to survive, we will have to ensure the capacity to produce what is necessary for national security ourselves, in particular arms industries.”
He compared the situation in which Israel is at ancient Greece, saying: “We are Athens and Sparta, or perhaps Super-Sparta. We have no choice. “
The Prime Minister also underlined the current bureaucratic situation of Israel, explaining: “What has worked so far will not work in the future … You must reduce bureaucracy.”
Netanyahu said later The Jerusalem post Qatar is the spearhead of a number of countries to impose a blockade in Israel.
“There is currently an attempt to impose a blockade in Israel by various entities and countries, led by Qatar,” said the Prime Minister. “This includes, above all, a media blockage funded by large sums of money from Qatar and other countries, such as China.”
“In the years to come, we will have to strengthen our independent weapons industries to ensure the autonomy of weapons, the production of ammunition and industrial capacities,” said Netanyahu. “This will allow us to unravel this blockade.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
