(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday morning (5 November 2012) met with Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. They discussed Microsoft's commitment to Israel, its vast investments in the local market and the impact it is having, driving economic growth through national level activity and programs focused on innovation economy, employability, education and more.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "The combination of the State of Israel and Microsoft is natural since the Israeli high-tech industry is among the world's leaders. Microsoft was wise enough to see its potential many years ago and to benefit from the quality personnel in Israel. Our investment in high-tech industries and in training people for high-tech will continue to succeed and bear fruit. I believe that cooperation between the State of Israel and Microsoft will continue for many years."

Microsoft CEO Ballmer said, "This is my fourth visit to Israel and I am always excited and inspired by the sheer technological ingenuity of its people and entrepreneurs, a key reason why it’s such an important market for Microsoft.  Since the early 90's we have made significant investments in localizing products in Hebrew, providing support and investment for various Israeli companies and partners and, of course, growing our strategic R&D presence."