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Honorable Mayor, Avi Elkabatz,
My Friend, Chairman of the Coalition Eli Aflalo,
Prof. Arye Scoop, Chairman of the Computer for Every Child Project,
The activists of the organization, who volunteer to work with children in Israel,
Members of the City Council,
Residents of Afula,
And primarily – the students of Afula,
I am very excited to be here with you today. I thank you, Avi, for your warm and moving words. Two weeks ago when we spoke in the Knesset I promised you: I will be here with you because I love the city of Afula. Afula is the capital of this beautiful, prosperous and blooming region of the State of Israel. I love coming here, I love traveling in this region. I see the tremendous potential for development in Afula and I have no doubt that with your dynamic leadership and unlimited energy, and with the support of the residents of this city and the help of Eli Aflalo – under your combined forces with me beside you, we will succeed in advancing the entire region and the city of Afula.
Thank you for your personal and best wishes and for the moving reception from the students of Afula at the beginning of my tour of the park. You have charming children and they moved me a great deal, almost to tears when I saw them waving their hands and with joyous smiles on their faces. I am touched and it gives me a great deal of strength and hope.
This project of a computer for every child is a wonderful one. We, the Government of Israel, its national and local leadership, have the obligation to ensure that every child in Israel has a modern, advanced computer at home, which they can use as a tool for self-advancement and development. How can any modern, developed and advanced society exist without a computer for every student? How can we even consider that the State of Israel, the country which is responsible every year for more innovations in the fields of technology and software programming than any other nation – how can our children, every one of them, not know how to use a computer and not enjoy the possibilities inherent in using a personal home computer on a daily basis?
We have tremendous potential. I know this sounds pretentious, but it is true. Heading this project is Prof. Arye Scoop, who for years ran Microsoft in Israel. The chairman of this company, or as he calls himself, “the chief technological architect of Microsoft”, Bill Gates, visited Israel one-and-a-half years ago. In my former position of Minister of Industry, Trade and Development, I met and spoke with him, and we signed an agreement of cooperation with Microsoft. He told me that there were two places in the world which are the source of all innovation in the advanced technology field and of course computers: one is the United States, a rather large country of 300 million inhabitants. The second home of innovation, and not relative to size but rather in absolute terms with regard to number of patents, innovations and their significance in the development of the most important technological fields in the entire world – is the State of Israel.
We are very proud of these accomplishments, but they are evidence that we must invest even more in these areas. The more we invest, the more we can realize our potential. In this country, there is a very strange, unique and unusual blend, one I would call almost one-of-a-kind. There is a frenzy of intellectually advanced enterprises, a constant search which results in our ability to succeed in developing and renewing fields which eventually influence the cultures and quality of life of people worldwide. This is true in all fields, but is primarily true in the field of computers, which is in fact the platform and infrastructure for all activity in this successful sphere, one which is called “advanced technological industry”. This project of a computer for every child is the astute idea of private businesspeople, people with means who joined with the Government in order to contribute computers to Israeli children. Well done.
With the help of the city of Afula, we have already provided 25,000 personal computers to the individual homes of 25,000 young people in the State of Israel. When we reach 250,000, I will be content, when we reach one million I will feel happy and when we reach every home of every child in the State of Israel, I will feel that we made an important step forward so that Israel continues to lead the entire world, thanks to the wonderful talent of our people, who should be given a chance in life.
We are searching for every possible means to provide the children of Israel with opportunities. This year we are investing more in at-risk children than at any time in the history of the State of Israel. There are over 700,000 children in the State of Israel who live below the poverty line and we are responsible for them. There are over 330,000 children who are at risk and we are responsible for them. This year and the next, we will invest NIS 400 million in at-risk children; we will invest billions to reduce the number of families and children living below the poverty line. This year, we will open dozens of treatment centers for babies and toddlers, through the age of 6, something that has never been done, so that children begin the first grade prepared and equipped, ensuring that all disabilities and limitations from which they may suffer are identified in time, diagnosed in time and treated in time. In time – not when they are 18 or 20 years old and have already had difficult and sometimes impossible experiences, but rather at an age when we can let them take the first step of their lives. Good luck to them; good luck to their families; and good luck to their environment.
Gentlemen, we are not ashamed of this, we never were described by this title, but we are a Government with social sensitivity, with concern for society and with an obligation to do everything to ensure that Israeli society takes a real step forward, past poverty and violence and distress, so that it uncovers the tremendous possibilities.
We will not tire, and will do everything in our power to advance the State of Israel towards a chance for peace with our neighbors. It is not easy; we face many lows; and there are many obstacles we must overcome. Who knows better than you that our neighbors do not always desire peace and conciliation? But I believe with all my heart that we do not have to make excuses in order to avoid the effort, with all the risks involved. To stride forward in order to bring the State of Israel closer to conciliation, peace and security with our Palestinian neighbors who are such difficult neighbors, but they are here, and there is no better way than cautiously and patiently searching with them for the path on which to move forward – not, G-d forbid, to the detriment of the security of the citizens of the State of Israel.
I will make tremendous efforts, with all my strength, to ensure that the meeting taking place at the end of November in the United States will be a step in the right direction. One step – we will need to take many steps; there will be many more difficulties; there will be many more disappointments; but if we undertake this step wholeheartedly, I believe we can bring blessings, joy, security and – G-d willing, peace to the people of Israel.
I congratulate you, Avi, on all you have done for Afula and I wish that every child in Afula gets a computer. I will try, with the help of Eli Aflalo and the “Computer for Every Child” organization, to ensure that all the children of Israel get a computer, which is the basis for advancement, prosperity and hope. Good luck.
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