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Netanyahu opened his address at the 6th Annual Jerusalem Conference  by emphasizing the importance and even more, the obligation to keep Jerusalem a united city, an obligation that is historical but also strategic and security-mandated..

“In this hotel, there are mingled feelings of joy and sorrow. Several stories above where we are sitting Rehavam Zeevi, a minister in the Israeli government and lover of Jerusalem, was murdered here several years ago, said Netanyahu. “I say this because the issue of Jerusalem has not been adequately discussed in this election campaign.”

To better understand the different parties positions regarding Jerusalem, Netanyahu advised checking out their previous deeds: “Look at what the candidates and their parties have done. We have never taken any action to undermine the unity of Jerusalem, even when faced with vociferous international pressures”,  said Netanyahu, and mentionerd to the crowd’s applause the decision to build the Har Homa neighborhood.

Netanyahu also spoke of the importance of connecting Maaleh Adumim to Jerusalem and added: “A Jewish neighborhood was built next to the  Mt. of Olives and there was tremendous criticism, but that’s the way things have to develop.”

“The Palestinians brought the offices of the Palestinian Authority to Jerusalem and we closed them leaving them only as a symbol, the Orient House”, Netanyahu reminded the  audience, adding that  he tried to close that too, but was prevented by the High Court from doing so.

“They tried to take another step, to conduct a population census in Jerusalem and we were surprised to find that  no law prevented any foreign agent from doing so. I then charged Knesset members with passing a law within one day that would allow us to block the Palestinian Authority from conducting the census, and thus we showed our fidelity to  an undivided Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, and we will continue in this way.”

Netanyahu described the reality that would evolve if Jerusalem were divided: “A meter from this hotel would be an Iranian  military base. And you  know what that means.”

“They tell us that to have peace with our neighbors, we must leave the Temple Mount.  I said already in 1995 that radical Islam will bring down the  Twin Towers because it is one of the most conspicuous symbols of Western democratic ideas.”

“If they wanted to harm the place that best symbolizes the religious heritage of the West,, Judaism and Christianity, where would they strike?” asked Netanyahu and answered, “Jerusalem-  we have already seen that  these radicals have no bounds.”

“Whoever says that making concessions on the  Temple Mount will bring peace is wrong. It will bring the exact opposite”, said Netanyahu, promising to keep Jerusalem undivided

In his address at the closing of the Educational Conference at Tel Aviv University, Netanyahu presented his vision and program for education in Israel.  “Within ten years we can become first rate again on an international scale”, he contended. “If we believe in it, if we direct ourselves toward that goal, we can bring about this change even earlier.”

“The educational system has been in a decline for many years…In the sixties we were in the top ten percentile in the world and today we are in the fiftieth percentile. Even our outstanding students in mathematics only reached the fiftieth place and Iran has passed us, and not by a little.”

“Our problem is serious and requires a serious solution. Before we talk about money -  which always seems to be the answer- I want to focus on the problem. Although we certainly have to raise teachers’ salaries, this not the solution. We know that because in several countries where they raised teachers’ salaries, such as France, which tripled its investments in its pupils – the scores dropped and when you study these results closely, you find a certain consistency.”

The best idea is to learn from the success stories or in this case, from countries which have succeeded. Several things characterize these success stories, and we do not have them.

Improving the level of teaching

“The first thing is the level of teaching, because no educational system can be better than the level of the teachers it has. That is the first thing that makes countries successful; take for example, South Korea and Finland. In order to be accepted to teach, you have to be in the top ten percentile of your college graduating class. The prestige involved creates the attraction to new teachers. They take a narrow group of excellent people and upon this they build the second thing:

Investing resources in teacher training

There is an enormous investment in teacher training, before entering the profession and no less, after entering, said Netanyahu , and drew a parallel between a medical student and a teacher in Israel.

“I don’t know a single successful school in Israel where the principal is not outstanding. When that principal leaves,, its’ only a matter of time before the school begins to decline.  It is the same if you are speaking of a country, a corporation , a political party, or  a school. The executives/principals must be expert and they must be allowed to do their job; that means, more autonomy, more decentralization , and more freedom, said Netanyahu to the applause of his listeners.

Timely handling of problems

The third point, “ continued Netanyahu, “ is that all successful countries handle their weak students in a timely way; they don’t wait until the end of the year”. Netanyahu said that the investment in Finland in this area is tremendous. “Every pupil has a computer screen, and the teacher sees when a pupil can’t answer a question and will come to that pupil at the end of the lesson and sit and explain to him”.

Investing in the core curriculum

“Another point is investing in the core curriculum. We invest relatively little”, said Netanyahu referring to mathematics, composition, reading comprehension, and English. “The core curriculum requires a greater investment”.

Investing in teaching values to pupils

“The last item is values. When a child leaves school, you ask yourself “What kind of child emerges from the system. The question arises whether that child has learned other subjects, has he learned to use his full potential,” said Netanyahu and emphasized, “There is no education like self-discipline, the ability to develop by oneself a desire to learn . There are countries which develop these things, just as they cultivate respect for the teacher and discipline. The need to teach values is growing and the countries which succeed in education do teach values.”

“The goal I wish to achieve”, Netanyahu finished, “is that within ten years we will put the children of Israel back in the top ten percentile. If we set ourselves that goal, with faith and genuine enthusiasm, we can bring about this change even earlier  - and we intend to.”