Illustrative. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen.

In a conference call with global leaders on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged $60 million to the fight against the coronavirus.

“Israel, like all countries, has been greatly affected by [the coronavirus],” Netanyahu said. “Fortunately, our casualties thus far have been relatively low. This has been the result of early action to contain the disease, advance technology to locate those infected, first-rate medical professionals and a disciplined population that largely adhered to the mitigation policies enacted by our government.”

“But as we all know, the corona epidemic is far from over,” he added. “At best, we’re only at the end of the beginning. And like all countries, Israel is now trying to find the right balance between protecting the health of our citizens by preventing another spike in infections, and enabling the reopening of our economy.”

“But ultimately, to ensure both the public health and national prosperity, we must all work together on improving diagnostics, accelerating therapies and ultimately developing a vaccine,” Netanyahu declared. “I am confident that Israel’s leading research institutions, its world-renowned scientists and our unique culture of innovation can enable us to play an important role in advancing solutions on all three fronts.”

He concluded, “That is why Israel is pledging today sixty million dollars to these efforts. We hope to work with other countries to leverage our unique capabilities to find solutions for the benefit of all.”

The call was organized by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Watch Netanyahu’s statement below:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Informs Leaders’ Conference on Dealing with the Corona Pandemic that Israel will Invest $60 Million in R&D in the Fields of Diagnostics, Therapies and Developing Drugs and a Vaccine for the Coronavirus.
>>>https://t.co/Y2D09ctA96 pic.twitter.com/jHtWqxUNW8

— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 4, 2020