Gov. Brown Signs Pro-Business Pact With Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu
SAN JOSE (KCBS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a swing through the Silicon Valley Wednesday where he met with high-tech leaders and signed a pro-business agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown.
Sitting next to Netanyahu at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Brown said Wednesday their agreement builds on their respective strengths in research and technology to confront critical problems both Israel and California face including drought and cybersecurity.
The pact also intends to strengthen Israeli companies' access to California innovation hubs.
"What a wonderful furthering of the deep connections that Israel has, not just with America, but with California in particular," Brown said.
Netanyahu noted accomplishments can be achieved through the power of coupling education with "enterprise and government investment".
After signing the agreement to applause, Netanyahu made some brief remarks on Israel's interception of what their navy claimed was an Iranian ship with missiles, headed to Gaza.
"Iran is smiling, talking soft in the international forums, but it continues, unabatedly, its aggressive behavior," he said.
He stressed Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons
Netanyahu planned stops at Stanford University, Apple Inc. in Cupertino, and a meeting with WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant who sold his company to Facebook Inc. for $19 billion last month.
Gov. Brown Signs Signs Pro-Business Pact With Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu
Wednesday's visit followed Netanyahu's meetings with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., on Monday and his appearance Tuesday at the Los Angeles premiere of a television documentary that features him. This is the first California visit from an Israeli prime minister since 2006.
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