Context
- India’s relations with Israel should not come at the “expense of ties” with Palestine in respect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel.
- India is trying to manage its own balance in the region, and making a separation between these ties as well.
- India and Israel will sign a unique Strategic Partnership on non-security issues including Agriculture, Water, Science, technology and Space.
- India’s 1.3 billion people need food and water and India – Israel relationship on food security issue
- will bring maximum benefits to people of both sides.
The visit
- Modi as soon as reaching Israel will be escorted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- They’ll be visiting a floriculture farm,
- will be visiting a memorial for Indian soldiers in Haifa,
- will attend a water desalination programme on a beach,
- have lunch with business CEO’s from India and Israel together,
- will address a gathering of about 5,000 Israeli citizens of Indian origin in Tel Avi.
Visit to Tel Aviv
- From July 4th, Mr. Modi will be travelling to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
- Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.
- Unlike President Mukherjee, and three External Affairs Ministers Jaswant Singh (2000), S.M. Krishna (2012) and Sushma Swaraj (2016), Mr. Modi will not pay a visit to the Palestinian side.
- Instead, the government had hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Delhi in May this year.
- President Mahmoud signed several agreements on development assistance, and backing Palestine’s claim to a “two-state solution” in Delhi during his visit.
