“I am very happy that our reality is what it is,” he said, “and that our standard of living is level with the OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development].
“We are a Western nation that has everything you could ever want – a robust economy, infrastructure, growth, high GNP [gross national product].
“So I am in favor of this tendency to criticize, but I only ask that everyone keep in mind that there are enemies at our gates. Therefore, even though we look at things in OECD terms and we are held up to OECD standards, we have to remember that there is also a threat here, mostly external, that could seriously challenge this mechanism.
“After all, what is the state of Israel? You either love it very much, or you hate it. Those who love it are not from this region. And those who are from this region, you can guess the rest.”
— Israel Hayom, exclusively via JNS