Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set off for Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday to attend the World Economic Forum, where he is expected to meet with a number of world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, to discuss Israel’s technological power and press to fix the Iran nuclear deal.
Before taking off for Davos, Netanyahu said that he intends to advance “the standing of Israel, which has already taken shape as a global technological power. This found expression in my visit to India last week. It will also take expression in my meetings with heads of state and heads of some of the largest companies in the world.”
While in Davos, Netanyahu is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to lobby the European leaders on “fixing” the Iranian nuclear accord.
“I will tell them that in the coming weeks they will have a last opportunity to try and introduce real—not cosmetic—changes in the dangerous nuclear agreement with Iran,” Netanyahu said. “In any case, with or without an agreement, our policy is to prevent the terrorist regime in Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons, which would endanger us, the Middle East and the entire world.”
In a Jan. 12 announcement, Trump, who will also be in Davos, issued a 120-day ultimatum to European allies to “fix the deal’s disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw.”
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Washington may not be able to fix the flaws in the Iran deal on time because that outcome is contingent on getting European allies on board.
“The U.S. is under a bit of a timetable to deliver on what the president is looking for, but we don’t—we can’t set timetables for others,” Tillerson said, adding that he is continuing talks with European allies on the issue.
