Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to leave Wednesday for the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he is expected to meet with leaders of Google and Yahoo in a bid to expand collaboration between Israel and the two technology giants.
He will meet with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Google’s senior vice president and chief business officer, Nikesh Arora, as well as give a speech on Israel’s cybersecurity industry at the annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, for 2,500 of the world’s political and financial leaders.
“The Israeli economy has been successful in the face of the global economic crisis and is continuing to show high growth and low unemployment,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “Participation in the World Economic Forum will allow us to showcase the achievements of the Israeli economy to the entire world. ”
The prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace will also be on the agenda.
President Shimon Peres will discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace process on Thursday and Friday. He will also talk about the Iranian nuclear program and the economic and diplomatic challenges facing Israel and the region.
On Friday, Peres will be presented with the Spirit of Davos award for his contribution to the success of the World Economic Forum over the past two decades.
About 100 leading Israeli businesspeople are heading to Davos in part to promote a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of two states for two peoples. The World Economic Forum is dedicated an entire day to discussing an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement and the effect it could have on economic opportunities in the region.
Bank of Israel governor Karnit Flug will also be attending, but Finance Minister Yair Lapid will not be going.
The forum’s invitation to Netanyahu, who will be returning late Saturday or early Sunday, said Israel is a “key to positive developments in the regional and global economies,” according to the Israeli government statement.
Source: Haaretz.com
