Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sounded a self-congratulatory tone Wednesday, noting that the economy grew in 2011 and making special mention of steps being taken to assist the middle class – possibly mindful of the fact that summer is approaching, and may bring with it a resumption of left-wing orchestrated “social protests.”

“The State of Israel has acted in an exceptionally responsible manner,” Netanyahu said. “We developed the economy in a way that distinguishes us from many other countries. At a time when they are crumbling, our economy has grown by almost 5%.”

“This means that we have the means to deal with groups in the population that have not been dealt with in the past – not just the weaker sectors but also the middle class.  We are doing this by free education from age three.  We are doing this by giving tax credit points to working parents.”

” That we are doing this may be seen in the record number of construction starts,  Today, approximately 80,000 apartments are under construction, a number that is unprecedented, I believe, in the last 12 years.  Naturally, this is affecting housing prices.  There are also other steps.”

“Our responsible economic behavior is allowing us to take important steps in education, housing and tax benefits for the middle class,” he stressed. “We will also find other ways to ease the burden on the main pillar of the State of Israel’s population.”

Netanyahu made his remarks in Tiberias (Tverya ), at the first meeting of the ministerial team on Tiberias:

“I think that linking Tiberias, the Galilee and the Negev with the center of the country, and also making the center more accessible to the Galilee and the Negev, will further help reduce the gaps in Israeli society and also raise us all upward, like the level of the Sea of Galilee,” he said.

“By the way, this may sound strange but the state’s desalination policy also helps raise the level of the Sea of Galilee.  There is a saying that the level of the Sea of Galilee reflects the national mood.  At the moment, it is on the rise and we will see to it that it continues to do so.”