Israel to roll out red carpet as PM begins historic visit today

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his historic three-day visit to Israel tomorrow, skipping Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian authority and in effect signalling a new direction in India’s relationship with Israel and Palestine.

Edit: First PM in Israel

Israel, realising the de-hyphenation that Modi has set in motion, is getting ready to roll out the red carpet. In a special gesture, the PM will be received at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will also accompany him to many of the sites during the visit.

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Modi, in an interview to newspaper ‘Israel Hayom’, reciprocated the warmth and said he was looking forward to visiting Israel that he had last visited in 2006 as Gujarat CM.  Expressing his admiration for Israel, the PM said, “The way you transformed yourself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country; the manner in which you made your deserts bloom are all amazing accomplishments.”

The PM spoke about the threat of terrorism and how Israel and India could cooperate to fight this menace. 

Both the countries are likely to discuss the sale and production of missiles, drones and radar systems under Modi’s pet “Make in India” project.