Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Israel on February 25-26, his first visit to the nation since 2017, when he became the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit the country. His Israel trip assumes significance for many reasons, including India’s strategic interests and the developments that took place in the days preceding the prime minister’s upcoming visit.
The most significant of them all was India’s recent backing of Palestine against Israel’s moves and expansion plans in the West Bank. India joined more than 100 countries and international organisations in condemning the “unlawful” settlements in the West Bank.
While India has always supported the two-nation solution and the rights of the Palestinian people, the country was initially not included in the list of countries who slammed the West Bank expansion, presented by Palestine’s UN envoy.
The country’s position was mentioned later in the India-Arab League ministerial joint statement, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said recently.
India’s big move despite strong ties with Israel
India and Israel have long shared warm diplomatic ties that got an even bigger boost after PM Modi came to power in 2014. Him and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu have always shared a friendship, that was recently reflected again in one of posts made by the Israeli prime minister.
In a post, Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as “personal friends” who have forged this relationship over many years. “We waded together in the waters of the Mediterranean, and much water has flowed since then in the Mediterranean, the Ganges, and the Jordan,” he wrote in the post.
However, with India’s latest move backing Palestine in the face of Israel’s West Bank expansion, all eyes will be set on how PM Modi will bring up the issue of the Gaza conflict in his conversation with Netanyahu.
According to Kfir Tshuva, an economics lecturer in Israel, India has always maintained a strategic balance when it comes to the Middle East. “This allows India to deepen cooperation with Israel in areas such as defence, technology and economic integration, while also sustaining diplomatic engagement with the Palestinian leadership and strong ties with Arab states,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
Notably, PM Modi and Netanyahu have discussed the Gaza conflict in the past too.
Defence boost for India soon?
Defence cooperation is expected to take centre stage during PM Modi’s trip to Israel and his meeting with counterpart Benjamin Nentanyahu. Israel is widely regarded as a global leader in defence innovation, particularly its anti-ballistic missile system, having developed and deployed platforms such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow.
As reported by HT earlier, India is looking to procure some long-range missiles and loitering ammunition, which can be launched by air, ground and sea, enough to compete with the defence systems of its enemies.
To expand its missile defence capabilities, India is exploring joint development of anti-ballistic missile defence with Israel. The effort is linked to Mission Sudershan Chakra, announced by PM Modi on Independence Day last year. The mission was widely seen as India’s effort to build anti-ballistic missile defence and long range conventional ballistic missiles.
Apart from defence, PM Modi’s Israel visit will also touch upon subjects of science and technology, agriculture and clean drinking water, among others.
