Modi seeks closer anti-terror ties in historic visit to Israel
NEWDELHI: Narendra Modi, who becomes the first Indian Prime Minister to embark on a bilateral visit to Israel, has said that New Delhi and Tel Aviv need to cooperate more closely in battling the “global menace” of terrorism.
Modi told newspaper Israel Hayom in an interview that his three-day visit, starting on Tuesday, had “its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel” and would strengthen ties between the two countries.
“India and Israel are not immune to it (terrorism). We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish,” the Prime Minister said.
Underlining the need for cooperation in combating terror, he said: “These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion.”
Modi is expected to meet ‘Baby Moshe’, who survived the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks though his parents, Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the Chabad House in Colaba. Moshe is now 11.
India and Israel established full-fledged diplomatic ties 25 years ago and Modi is expected to lay the future road map.
“No Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before our president (Pranab Mukherjee) visited in 2015... My forthcoming visit reminds us of the deep and centuries old connect between our societies,” Modi said.
Historically, India has walked a tightrope in the region, seeking to balance relations between Arab states and Palestine in keeping with its long-held non-aligned foreign policy.
NEW DELHI/ TEL AVIV: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi all set to land in Tel Aviv on Tuesday , India has finally de-hyphenated its relationship with Israel and Palestine, engaging with the two arch-rivals separately and on mutually beneficial terms.
PM Modi has already made a political statement by choosing to stay in Jerusalem, on which Palestine has claims, for all the three days and only going to Tel Aviv for the Indian community event.
He is expected to visit Yad Vesham, the Holocaust Memorial, and a visit to the Wailing Wall in the old city was not ruled out. He will be staying at King David Hotel, the same suite as US President Donald Trump during his May 2017 visit.
The political message of the trip is clear – the ruling dispensation is no longer queasy in dealing with Israel as was the case in the past.
Whether this queasiness was due to possible impact such relationship would have on domestic politics or on the vast Indian diaspora is a matter of perception.
India realises Israel is no longer a pariah with Jerusalem having a working relationship with conservative states such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Although India has been a committed supporter of the two nation theory, with Palestine being a separate entity, national security watchers rue the fact that none of the Arab countries oppose the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) passing resolutions on Kashmir year after year.
Much to India’s chagrin, the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s tweet on Eid-ul-Fitr (June 26) exhorted Shia Muslims to rise against the so called tyranny in Bahrain, Yemen and Kashmir.
The Kashmir linkage has not gone well with Raisina Hill and India has made its displeasure known to the concerned quarters through diplomatic channel.
While Modi will be the first Indian PM to visit Israel after PM Ariel Sharon came to India during Vajpayee regime in 2003, New Delhi is more focused on the economic benefits of the visit and is not out to score political points with the Middle East teetering from one crisis to other.
Rather than get bogged down by age old intractable political issues, Prime Minister Modi is focused on bilateral trade, top end agricultural technologies and regional security in context of Islamic State and other non-state players. He understands the clout of the Jewish community in global financial markets and a good word from them could lead to long term economic benefits for India.
PM IS AWARE OF JEWISH COMMUNITY'S CLOUT IN FINANCIAL MARKETS AND A GOOD WORD FROM THEM COULD LEAD TO ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR INDIA