PM becomes world's 1st leader to draw 'Doodle'

In meeting with Netanyahu, Google chairman Schmidt says he sees Israel as start-up nation, appreciates value of army-service.

By TAMARA ZIEVE
Netanyahu, Schmidt hold up Doodle, picture of Isaiah Scroll (photo credit: PMO/Courtesy)
Netanyahu, Schmidt hold up Doodle, picture of Isaiah Scroll
(photo credit: PMO/Courtesy)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu became the world's first leader to draw a Google "Doodle", as he met with the Internet giant's chairman Eric Schmidt on Tuesday. A "Doodle" is a redesign of the Google logo, which the company adapts to mark special occasions during the year.
Netanyahu's drawing consisted on an Israeli flag, a man sitting under a parasol, and quasicrystals discovered by Nobel Prize winner Professor Dan Shechtman. "This is Israel" Netanyahu told Schmidt. "Science, Sun and Google..."
During the meeting Netanyahu gave Schmidt a framed picture of the Isaiah Scroll, as a symbol of the Dead Sea Scrolls project that Google is heading with the Israel Museum. Together they are uploading the Dead Sea scrolls onto the Internet. This is part of Google's decision to promote history and heritage online.
Referring to the project and to the "Doodle", Netanyahu thanked Schmidt, saying, "This is the past and the future." 
Schmidt told the prime minister that though this was his first visit to Israel, he sees the country as the "start-up nation." He said he appreciated that Israeli citizens army service gives them a huge advantage in the high-tech field. He said that the army makes them more mature, independent and organized in comparison with other people in the field; it is their best way to cope in a competitive environment, and leads them to many achievements, he added.