Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew to Paris today, where he'll accept an invitation for Israel to join the prestigious OECD group of 31 rich world economies. He'll also meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the Arab-Israeli peace process.
Israel has long requested to become a member of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), a Paris-based group of economically developed nations. The OECD finally invited Israel to join, despite the objections of Arab leaders who claim that Israel's membership conflicts with the organization's commitment to human rights.
OECD membership will help Israel's status with investment funds, as it now defines Israel as a developed country as opposed to an emerging economy. The OECD said yesterday (Wednesday) that the Israeli economy was expected to enjoy an impressive 3.8% growth in the coming year, and it has praised Israel for its response to the global economic crisis. Still, said the OECD, poverty in Israel is rampant with 20% of Israelis living below the poverty line.
Netanyahu will also conduct a 'working lunch' with Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace. Of late, there have been tensions between the two leaders, with Sarkozy displeased over Netanyhu's support for continued building in Jerusalem. Netanyahu commented on the tensions, saying that his relations with Sarkozy are, "very friendly...among friends and members of the same family, you can have occasional disagreements, but we remain fraternal."
Netanyahu is set to fly to the U.S. on Tuesday, where he will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama. Netanyahu was invited to the meeting with Obama via White House Cheif of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who is visiting Israel now for his son's Bar Mitzvah. The meeting with Obama is expected to focus on mending strained relations between the two leaders, and Obama is expected to give Netanyahu a warm reception, and focus less on content and more on the appearance of improved relations. Obama has also invited the PA's Machmoud Abbas to meet him in June, in an attempt to restart the negotiation process with Israel.
Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Canada on Friday, ahead of his U.S. visit.