“Everyone needs the future,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a crowd of diplomats at the 2017 Jerusalem Post Conference on Wednesday. “Israel is seizing the future.”

Netanyahu called a “myth” the perception that Israel is an isolated country, as Israel’s diplomatic relations and economy are flourishing.

Three hundred world leaders visited Israel in 2017, as well as 1,800 additional international influencers, Netanyahu pointed out. Further, Israel has diplomatic relations with 159 countries, 103 consulates and 77 embassies around the world.

“This takes Israel out of the purported myth of isolation,” the prime minister said. “There is something very big happening.”

Netanyahu said that the Arab world is also reaching out to Israel. In surveys that the government has performed online in Arab countries, it found that the Arab world thinks ties with Israel will benefit their countries.

Why? Two reasons, the premiere said: economy and security.

Netanyahu used a play on words, based on a quote from Isaiah 2:3, “From Zion shall come forth Torah.” He insinuated that just as the words of God emanated from Zion and will emanate from Zion in the messianic era, today Israeli technology and innovation is emanating across the world and the people are hungry for it.

“From Zion shall come forth technology,” Netanyahu said.

He said the world is in the midst of great change, and that change is not merely to technology, but to certain kinds of technology: big data, productivity and artificial intelligence.

“This is a revolution and, indeed Israel is leading the revolution,” he said.

He highlighted innovation in the automobile, healthcare and even dairy industries as examples of how Israel is leading this revolution.

“You need milk?” Netanyahu asked. “Which cow gives the most milk per cow in the world? It is an Israeli cow.”

He said Russia has set up experimental farms to see if the country can scale Israeli dairy farming technology.

Netanyahu also pointed out Israel is leading the way in security and defense as terror spreads to other countries.

“The sparks of Middle Eastern terror fly all over the world from Australia to Canada,” said Netanyahu. “Everyone needs protection against that threat. Israel’s intelligence services are second to none.”

He continued: “There is now a confluence because of economic and technological prowess on the one hand and security prowess on the other hand. All countries need alliances. So, a small country with a big spirit also needs alliances.

“We are creating alliances.”

The prime minister sent out an invitation to any diplomats from countries with which Israel does not yet have a strategic alliance, saying, “Come and see me.”

“If your country is not on that map, come and see me,” he urged.

More Jerusalem Post Conference Coverage:
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MK Yair Lapid Calls on Diplomats to Recognize Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan, Jerusalem
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