German Foreign Minister to meet Netanyahu

Jerusalem : German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who is scheduled to visit Israel later this month, will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gabriel, a Social Democrat, is slated to address the 11th annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies, which takes place from January 29 to 31, in Tel Aviv. He is likely to meet Netanyahu on January 31, reports The Times of Israel.

Germany reportedly requested the meeting with Netanyahu.

This would be Gabriel's first meeting after he was unceremoniously disinvited by the Prime Minister's Office last April over his meeting with the dovish Breaking the Silence group.

Netanyahu, had earlier said that he will not host any world leader, who also meets with the whistleblower group.

Explaining his decision not to receive Gabriel, Israeli premier's office said at that time, "Prime Minister Netanyahu's policy is not to meet foreign visitors who on diplomatic trips to Israel meet with groups that slander IDF soldiers as war criminals."

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos.

"Israel is a global technological power," he added according to the reports, "We are cultivating this true strength and are promoting it in many forums."

"This forum is the main global economic forum. I will meet there with a long list of heads of state - and of major corporations, [who] are no less important today," Netanyahu further stated.

The theme for this year's WEF summit is - "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World."

The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation and was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation, hosts its annual meeting in Davos every year in January.