He compared the situation Israel is in to ancient Greece by saying, \u201cWe are Athens and Sparta, or perhaps Super-Sparta. We have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> said in a Tuesday press conference that if there was one lesson learned from the October 7 massacre, it was that Israel needs to create an \u201cindependent weapons industry\u201d that can \u201cwithstand international constraints.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu said that his Monday comments on implementing an economy with autarkic characteristics were \u201cmisunderstood\u201d by the media, adding that \u201cthe markets understood what I was saying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe shekel is strong, stronger even than it was before the war began,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the past year, our stock market has grown stronger than the US S&P.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister said that though he does not underestimateinternational embargo attempts<\/a>, in the realm of hi-tech and AI, no one does it better than Israel. Even in the defense industries, where Israel receives heavy political backlash, exports have skyrocketed throughout the war.<\/p>\n It was those achievements that bolstered Netanyahu\u2019s resolve to make Israel economically independent and encourage foreign investors to invest in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will create an independent arms industry, very powerful, very strong, that will withstand any international constraints and provide security for the State of Israel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future belongs to those who innovate,\u201d he concluded, \u201cand Israel is the innovation nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu explained on Monday the need to protect industries critical for national security, saying, \u201cI am an advocate of the free market, but in order to survive, we will have to ensure the ability to produce what is necessary for national security ourselves, especially weapons industries.\u201d<\/p>\n He compared the situation Israel is in to ancient Greece, saying, \u201cWe are Athens and Sparta, or perhaps Super-Sparta. We have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister also pointed to Israel\u2019s current bureaucratic situation, explaining, \u201cWhat worked until now will not work going forward\u2026 You have to cut down the bureaucracy.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu later told The Jerusalem Post<\/em> that Qatar is spearheading an effort by a number of countries to impose a blockade on Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is currently an attempt to impose a blockade on Israel by various entities and countries, led by Qatar,\u201d the prime minister said. \u201cThis includes, first and foremost, a media blockade funded by vast sums of money from Qatar<\/a> and other countries, such as China.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the coming years, we will need to strengthen our independent arms industries to ensure self-reliance in weaponry, munitions production, and industrial capacity,” Netanyahu said. \u201cThis will enable us to break through this blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>