Cybersecurity dominated discussions led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos this week as the Israeli leader attended the World Economic Forum to talk with tech titans in-between meetings with the likes of U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
Aside from conversations with the Obama administration and representatives from the governments of Azerbaijan and Argentina, among others, Mr. Netanyahu met with executives from Intel, IBM, Dell and HP on Wednesday and Thursday at the annual summit to discuss their role in strengthening Israel’s cybersecurity.
Reporting from the Swiss resort town, Israel’s Jewish Press said Mr. Netanyahu raised concerns over the possible repercussions that his country’s economy and society risk facing as a result of growing cyberthreats world wide, along with the role those corporation’s could have in strengthening Israel’s cybersecurity through further cooperation.
“Cyber has substantially changed basic elements of our lives both as individuals and nations,” the prime minister said. “In the new age, it is cyber defense that makes the future possible and constitutes a precondition for growth and security.”
Israel strives to become a “global cyber greenhouse,” Mr. Netanyahu added, “in which the spirit of innovation and technological assets create pioneering strategies and solutions for Israel and the world.”
Also on Thursday, the Israeli government said the nation’s exports with respect to the cyber industry accounted for roughly 5 percent of the global market last year at approximately $3.5 billion.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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