Netanyahu invites...

For the 64-year-old Netanyahu, the meeting with Modi, also 64, was his first bilateral on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He told Modi “the sky is the limit” for ties between their countries. To which, according to the Israeli PM’s office, Modi replied, “I agree with you that India-Israel relations are historical”.

The statement said Netanyahu had “raised the issue of the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran as well as the global threat posed by Islamic terrorism”. Asked if there was any discussion on ISIS, Akbaruddin said, “Given that Israel is well placed in that region, the PM requested and was given a briefing of their understanding of the situation.”

Modi also made a pitch for cooperation on urban development. “There are approximately 500 cities in India where water management would be a major issue, given the growth in these cities. There was a fairly detailed discussion on the possibilities of cooperation in water management as well as solid waste management,” the Indian side said.

The session culminated in an invitation to Israel for Modi, who visited the country many years ago as Gujarat chief minister. No Indian PM has visited Israel yet while Ariel Sharon’s 2003 trip to India was the last by an Israeli PM.

PM Modi, on his part, said everyone appreciated the fact that “there is a deep recognition in Israel that India is the only country where anti-semitism has never been allowed to come up, where Jews have never suffered but have lived as an integral part of our society”.