PM Modi to travel to Israel on Feb 25; my dear friend’s historic visit, says Netanyahu

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Thanking Netanyahu, Modi responded in a post, “I fully agree with you on the bond between India and Israel as well as the diverse nature of our bilateral relations. India deeply values the enduring friendship with Israel, built on trust, innovation and a shared commitment to peace and progress. Looking forward to our discussions during my upcoming Israel visit.”

The Israeli PM also posted, “This week, expression will be given to the special relationship that has been forged over recent years between Israel and the global power that is India, and between myself and its leader, Prime Minister @narendramodi. We are personal friends; we speak frequently on the phone and visit one another. I have visited India, and Modi has visited here. We waded together in the waters of the Mediterranean, and much water has flowed since then in the Mediterranean, the Ganges, and the Jordan.”

“In any case, one thing has happened: The fabric of this relationship has grown tighter, and he is coming here so we can tighten it further through a series of decisions related to strengthening cooperation between our governments and countries.”

“So, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister of India will arrive. He will deliver a speech at the Knesset, and I am sure you will all be there. We will also hold an innovation event in Jerusalem and visit Yad Vashem together,” he said.

Modi’s 2017 trip was the first ever visit by an Indian PM to Israel. He had not visited the West Bank during that visit, but had visited Ramallah in a separate visit in February 2018 when he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

His second visit to Israel comes months after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza after two years of war. The attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 — which claimed more than 1,200 lives — had led to a military response by Israel. This led to the killing of more than 70,000 Palestinians, including Hamas combatants, women and children.

PM Modi had expressed immediate and initial support to Israel against Hamas within hours of the attacks on October 7, and had expressed solidarity against terrorism. Later, the Indian government had sought to nuance by talking about the two-state solution to assuage the concerns of Palestinians as well.

In the last two years, India had expressed concern at the killings of innocent civilians and had called for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza. After US President Trump brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, India had supported the Gaza peace plan. But it had chosen not to join the Board of Peace led by Trump.

Now, the Indian approach has been to move forward in the relationship with Israel. Both nations have deep strategic ties, especially in defence and security cooperation, and Modi’s visit is expected to give a fillip to these areas of cooperation.

Besides, Modi and Netanyahu are expected to exchange notes on how to push the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor, which is important to both countries and Israel is part of the corridor as well.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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