 in Washington, namely Congress and the administration, and especially the Oval Office. The background will be to his advantage when it comes to Israel's fight against Iran and convincing the United States to come to the same table in the same position when it comes to the Islamic Republic. Well, Sarah, I mentioned, Elikon is a very capable man, and I think that he could be quite persuasive. His analytical skills are very good. Also, his interpersonal relationships are very good. But, you know, it's not by coincidence that he was so high. I believe he was, like, number one, came up number one in the Likud primaries. And this is because of his very good interpersonal relationship, which is also his weight when it comes to foreign relations. And I'm sure he can really bring to the table a lot when it comes to negotiations and contacts with Anthony Blinken, for instance, the Secretary of State with Jack Sullivan in Washington, the National Security Advisor, and, of course, in Congress. Congress is a very, very important element in the relationship. We don't have better friends in America than the members of Congress, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. So in here, also his political skills would come very, very useful for him. So I think it will be quite effective in whatever it does. Ambassador, stay with me. I want to take us to the foreign ministry in Jerusalem, where the ceremony to swear in the new foreign minister, Elikon, has begun. Let's take a look. And to create the economic conditions that will generate growth that is sustainable and you cannot do that at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government will try to reduce the cost of housing, but you cannot do that without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government will protect the environment and take part in the global effort when it comes to climate, but you cannot do that without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government will have the Golan Heights recognized as a strategic area, but you cannot do that without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government will absorb new immigrants. You cannot do that without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and so on. All of the above can only be gained because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is alive and functioning. And to do that, we must invest in the only resource this office has, the human resource. We do not have in this ministry tanks or aircraft only people. Mr. Minister, in this ministry, there are amazing people. Perhaps you have met some of them. Women and men who have taken action around the clock the entire year around the world in order to protect and safe keep Israel and to give the best service possible for citizens. Some of them endanger their lives and they risk the lives of their families to give Israel the iron dome of diplomacy that it needs. Another ministry is in the midst of a work crisis, which has been going on for over a year. This crisis, this dispute, is not only over wages, it is, but not only. It's also about the right of our people to live respectfully and to represent Israel with respect. It is about our ability to give Israel the excellent service that we always give it. I would like to take you back seven years. On June 18th, 2015, in your first address in the Knesset, you began by quoting from the ethics of the fathers, know where you have come from and where you are going. You said that this is the sentence that guides you in your public life. Mr. Minister, we in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remember well where we have come from, even when we serve in faraway places, even God forsaken places, we always remember the country that we represent, the neighborhood where we have grown up, the home that we leave behind for a certain amount of time. But it is important for us to know that even when we are sent to another country and as soon as we return, more importantly, there will be someone there who will take care of us, who will not leave us abandoned and that the country that we represent will give us the conditions we need in order to be able to sustain ourselves and our families. This work dispute can be solved, and quickly, there's no need to take months. Only a few weeks will do. You have proven in your previous positions that you are a man of action who can solve problems. You say little and you do a lot. That too is a quote from your address, your first address in the Knesset. So well, we're here to do. The solution can only be attained if we work together, if we collaborate, to the opportunity we have here to really make a difference in this ministry that will leave its mark for many years. Over any political achievement, this is the achievement we need now in order to ensure that we have an amazing foreign service for many years to come. Minister, the employees will do everything in their power in order to make sure that your term in office will be successful and fruitful. We have talked enough. Now it's time to work. Thank you very much, Rachaeli. It is my honor to invite the director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. President, to speak. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Employee Union, Ministry of Employees, welcomed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I would like to speak just a little bit briefly. And everything I will say, I think you already know. We are delighted to welcome you and we hope that you are successful. Your success truly is our success. In all of these ceremonies, I always feel like there is some sort of expectation that the director general will talk about the ministry and will talk about all the good things it has done, all of its successes. But I don't feel like it is what I need to do, and I have no intention of doing so. I am convinced that you know what we have accomplished, what we do accomplish and do, and what we are capable of doing. In recent years, we have proven at time and again, everywhere, in every event, not only in peaks of crisis and distress. It is an ongoing graph of excellence that keeps going because we're on our toes. Very often, we're working under difficult conditions. We don't complain. We just work. Minister of Foreign Affairs, this place is based on values, people, and work processes. We are now being watched by thousands of years of excellence and professionalism. All of us as people in the organization serve something, a value that is far greater than us. We are very proud of doing so. And ultimately, we, all of us, are asking to have an impact, to make an impact, to be rewarded for it, and also to be acknowledged and appreciated for what we do. Good luck to you, and enjoy. Thank you very much, Mr. Director General. I am now honored to invite the incoming Minister of Foreign Affairs, M.K. Eli Cohen, to speak. Good afternoon, one and all. I am certainly delighted and even excited to be here. Director General, Mr. Alon Ouspiz, the Executive of the Ministry, heads of committees, representations, employees, and distinguished guests. I view this coming into this position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a huge right and something that will help the resilience of the State of Israel. It is a service, the Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Service of Israel is of the most challenging, if not the most challenging, compared to other countries around the world. In my other positions, I have taken action to promote the peace agreement with the Sudan as the Minister of Intelligence, three commerce agreements as the Minister of Economy, and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I am going to actively promote Israel's status around the world, strengthen our international ties, and setting new diplomatic relations with other countries. 2023 is a year of opportunities and challenges. The State of Israel is reaching this year when it has in its arsenal security capabilities, intelligence capabilities, technological capabilities, energy, security, independence, and also the Abrahamic cause that have shown their worth to the countries that have partaken in them, just as in the past, as so we will in the future. At the top of our priority list will be our strategic relations with our closest ally, the United States. There is no substitute for Israel's relations with the United States. It is a strategic long-term partnership that is based first and foremost on shared values and also on shared interests. I was delighted to get on my first day in office a telephone call from the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Tom Knight, who is a good friend and a lover of Israel, and this afternoon I will be speaking to Anthony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State to ensure the ties between the two countries. The challenges that Europe is facing from a security and energy perspective position Israel as a key actor, it is an opportunity to deepen ties with European countries and to both of them compared to past years. Tomorrow I am supposed to be speaking to the Foreign Minister of Russia and in February I and my team from the office will be taking part in the Security Summit in Munich. The Abraham Accords have dramatically changed the Middle East. Only this past year commerce and trade between the countries that have signed the Abraham Accords was far more than 10 billion shekels in one year. Between these countries more than 10 billion shekels besides the economic contribution there is also a security contribution for the countries involved and also the strengthening of stability in the region. Next week we are going to have a meeting between the Director General of the Ministries in Abu Dhabi in preparation for another Foreign Minister Summit that will take place in Morocco this coming March. Due to the great contribution of Abraham Accords to the countries involved in them the expansion of these agreements to other countries is not a question of if but rather of when. Israel is the only country among the countries that are UN member states that has another country, another UN member state calling for its annihilation. Israel must stop Iran from attaining nuclear capabilities in every way and because of this international consensus that the nuclear deal with Iran is no longer relevant we need to focus on forced build-up in order to make sure that there is an international front against Iran and its nuclear program. Iran does not only want to attain nuclear weapons it also wants, DOSA has a long-range missile project, a drone project and is being internationally financed and is financing international terrorism. The states around the world must stop burying their heads in the sand. The Palestinian hypocrisy is expressed also in the vote last Saturday in the UN because over the last 75 years the Palestinians have rejected every single arrangement of peace offered to them. The Palestinian attempts to harm Israel in the international arena will cost them and will make the resolution of the conflict further away. We must say that most countries around the world have either objected to or have abstained from the vote thanks to the work that was carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and those that really should be on trial are the Palestinian leaders. It's the only place in the world that rewards those who murder Jews simply because they are Jews. The international community must convey a clear message to the Palestinian leadership enough incitement within education and in the media and stop financing murderers of Jews. The matter of Russia and Ukraine, we will do one thing for sure about it and we will talk less. We will prepare an approach for the Cabinet by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to have a policy in place and the significant humanitarian aid to Ukraine will continue. Israel plays a major role in the discourse with the Jewish communities around the world. The Israeli diplomats, the ambassadors and consuls are the ones who are there with the communities and play key roles vis-a-vis these people and organizations spearheading the campaign against anti-Semitism, which is a thawing. I would like to thank personally the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Ushbiz. Thank you very much, Alon. Yesterday I already began with meetings getting to know the different divisions and units of the ministry. The employees I have met are some of the best and most talented in public service. I also visited yesterday the Cadets course. The Cadets course has only 40, which were selected out of 3,000 who wanted to be in the course. And this figure alone attests to the quality and uniqueness of the people in this ministry. And by the way, many of them could have served in other positions, review their work, representing the state of Israel as an important way of expressing themselves and as a main thing that can contribute to Israel's resilience. It is important to state, and I would like to emphasize that, that there is no single other organization in the state of Israel that has the abilities that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has. No one does. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees are in 108 outposts of Israel around the world. It is a huge strength and power of the people that are really the best, the knowledge, experience, and the professionalism of the people in this ministry have been built for many years, dozens of years, and they are a national asset for Israel. Racheli, I am well aware of the dispute with the employees over the last year or so that has harmed their ministry's ability to function. I will not be able to succeed without the employees, and therefore I am committed to promoting a worthy and just solution so that this dispute can be behind us. It is important for me to say, and also in the three divisions that I visited yesterday, I explained that very clearly. What was in the last few years will not be again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will return to initiating and to leading as I have done in other places where I used to work. After having met with you, I think that everyone in this country knows the quality of the employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and I am certain that is what will be as in every year. This summer there's going to be a round of appointments for various positions around the world, and one thing I know for certain, not a single person will be appointed if they do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. To conclude, I would like to say a prayer from Zahms that has the following verse, God will give its nation might and will bless them with peace. Thank you very much and good luck to everyone.