In a historic development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday landed in Israel making it the first visit ever by an Indian Prime Minister to the country. Modi will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received Modi at the airport and announced that he would “accompany the Indian prime minister at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world”.
In a special gesture, he said ‘Aapka swagat hai mere dost’ (Welcome to Israel, my friend) while greeting him. Modi, on the other hand, emphasised that he was honoured to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.
Modi and Netanyahu will discuss common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties. This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.
Here are some of the things he’ll do in Israel :
- PM Modi will meet Israeli President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.
- He will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.
- He will, however, not visit Ramallah, a Palestine city – a usual stop for several visiting leaders – to maintain political balance
- He will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.
- Under his “Make in India” scheme, the Indian PM is expected to push the sales and production of missiles, drones and radar systems, with a main focus on the Barak 8 air defense system, built in collaboration with Israel to reduce arms imports and encourage the domestic defence industry.
- Also, a day before his visit, officials from Israeli foreign ministry acknowledged India’s concern that terror emanates from Pakistan and that India has a right to defend itself
This is what he had tweeted a day before: