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Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Tim Cook in Cupertino

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling through the United States this week for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual conference, and he is scheduled to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook today. The meeting plans were revealed on the Prime Minister’s Twitter account earlier this week:

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The calendar also sharesthat Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with the founders of WhatsApp, who recently sold their messaging service to Facebook for $19 billion. Local press reports indicate that the meeting with Cook is occurring as scheduled, and that the men will be having lunch at Apple’s corporate offices in Cupertino, California:

Apple executives occasionally meet with the leaders of nations from the around the world. In recent months, several reports have detailed meetings between Cook and Turkish government leaders.

Even without official online or physical retail sales channels, Apple and Israel have had a strong relationship for the past few years. In early 2012, Apple acquired Israel-based chip maker Anobit, and this kickstarted Apple’s research and development efforts in the nation. Apple has multiple engineering offices in Israel, and Apple research and development executives have visited the country.

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Late last year, Apple acquired Israel-based PrimeSense, a company which specializes in developing 3D gesture motion sensing hardware and software. The engineers who joined Apple from PrimeSense are working on camera hardware for future iOS devices and TV products, according to sources briefed on Apple’s plans.

Even with the already-existing relationship between Apple and Israel, the technology company and the technologically-advanced nation can work even further together. Israel is known for being the home to the creation of many technological innovations, and perhaps Cook and Netanyahu see ways for further collaboration. It is also likely that Cook and Netanyahu are discussing the prospect of official Apple Stores for Israel.

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(Image via Getty Images, thanks Tom for the lead)

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Comments

  1. jblondie09 - 10 years ago

    This post just made me smarter. Good Job.

  2. Raffe Gold - 10 years ago

    Oh dear God I hope they’re discussing Apple stores. iDigital, the official retailer of Apple gear in Israel, are absolutely horrible. Israeli ‘customer service’ could use a kick up the arse delivered by Apple!

  3. Ameer Hassan Tajaldeen - 10 years ago

    the last politician tim cook wants to be seen with is Netanyahu specially with Boycott Israel campaign gaining so much traction ryt now – i would not imagine Tim saying naaah ama pass on that lunch but im sure he would be relieved if Netanyahu had to cancel on him LOL …

    • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

      Keep your bias and nonsensical conclusions out of it.

      Apple has four R&D plants in Israel.

      • Ameer Hassan Tajaldeen - 10 years ago

        wow …. my opinion and a rational one i might add no need to be offensive – anyone running a profit generating corporation would in theory want to stay as far as possible from politics and politicians in the normal circumstances (specially ones like Benjamin Netanyahu). Normally Tim wouldn’t want to meet with leaders from around the globe but hey in some countries if u want things done you have to meet the big boss and im pretty sure Israel is one of those countries……

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        >>my opinion and a rational one

        Having nothing whatsoever to do with any relevant argument here.

        >>Normally Tim wouldn’t want to meet with leaders…

        Who says?

        >>but hey in some countries if u want things done you have to meet the big boss and I’m pretty sure Israel is one of those countries…

        Exactly. So why whine about it?

  4. I hope to see here, in Israel, first true Apple Store.

  5. Raz (@razoshri) - 10 years ago

    this is just great!
    i wish there will be an official store in Israel..
    thank you Benjamin Netanyahu !

  6. Firebender - 10 years ago

    Something is terribly wrong with the world when the Prime Minister of a country seen as one of the most conflicting ones in the world, with a nation that isn’t completely peaceful… going to the HQ of Apple to speak to a CEO who’s running a computer company.

    Just saying, you need to put on your alternate perspective goggles and re-examining the twisted relationship between Netanyahu (Israel) and Cook (Apple)… What the hell does these two things need to meet for? For a store in Israel? I’m sorry but when did a prime minister get interested in business prospects of an over priced computer company?????

    I guess priorities are pretty much out the window, I feel sorry for the people of Israel. Yeah I do…

    • taldo2014 - 10 years ago

      Im sorry, but it seems like you didnt read the article at all!
      Netanyahu, like all prime ministers around the world, have a huge interest meeting cook in order to attract Apple in buying more Israeli tech companies and opening up more research and development offices in the country. Do you know how much money Apple can invest in a country?? It can be a huge boost to the country’s economy if a company as big as Apple will invest in it, not to mentions the taxes on profits made in the country that could be worth a couple of billion dollars.. All the major tech companies have huge manufacturing plants and r&d centers in Israel, including Intel, Google, microsoft and many others, and so should Apple. Cook should meet netanyahu because he understands that Israel has the top startup companies per civilian ratio in the world and has a lot of potential for future investments. I doubt that a subject like opening a store was even on the table, they have a lot of other, more important subjects to talk about.

  7. drtyrell969 - 10 years ago

    ROFL…gotta secure that ASSAD backdoor.

  8. Rolf Neumann - 10 years ago

    boycott Netanf’nYahoo for heading the world’s only Apartheid left, for controlling the world despite only from less than 1% or world land mass & less than 1% of world population…enough already!

    The rest of us are just as Chosen, worthy, smart, creative etc. with no less balls/tits/ass cheeks/face cheeks/eyes/nose/ears/feet/2 brain halves etc. than Zionists God damn it

    let’s kill all religions from society.
    4000+ years of wars, terrorism, spying, and no evolution really, is shamefully inadequate.
    E.T.s do not have any reasons to return to Earth, as we must be the silliest, dumbest creatures on the planet for such little evolution. if they come for earthly natural resources, well, maybe they should take over, not Israel.

  9. Rolf Neumann - 10 years ago

    Odd, we in the West boycott Russia, but not Israel?!!?