(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday (local time; Wednesday, 5 March 2014), held a series of meetings in Silicon Valley in order to promote investments in the Israeli technology industry.
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and other corporate leaders, and was briefed on Apple's activities in Israel, which have significantly expanded since their inception approximately two-and-a-half years ago. The Prime Minister invited Cook to visit Israel and proposed that Apple begin activity at the national cyber park in Be'er Sheva.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also met with the WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton and discussed cyber protection technologies that have been developed in Israel.
Flextronics CEO Mike McNamara and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki were among the corporate leaders attending the meeting. Prime Minister Netanyahu called on the corporate leaders to increase their investments in the Israeli economy. He also referred over-regulation in Israel and said that in intends to implement deregulation reforms
Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu signed a strategic partnership agreement with California Governor Edmund G. ("Jerry") Brown, Jr. to promote economic relations between Israel and California. (Click
here for further details and the complete text of the agreement.)