Big support to Palestine, yet deep friendship between Modi-Netanyahu, know what will be big in Israel visit?

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Israel on 25-26 February, which will be his first visit to this country since 2017. During that time, he reached Israel for the first time as an Indian Prime Minister. This visit has special significance for several important reasons, including India’s strategic interests and the developments that took place just before the visit.

The most prominent among these developments is India’s recent step in supporting Palestine against Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the West Bank. India, along with more than 100 countries and international organizations, has condemned the illegal settlements there. While India has always supported the two-state solution and the rights of the Palestinian people, India’s name was not initially on the list condemning West Bank expansion. This position of the country was later included in the India-Arab League ministerial joint statement, as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said recently.

India’s big step

India and Israel have long enjoyed warm diplomatic relations, which further strengthened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014. There has always been a personal friendship between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, which was clearly visible in a recent post of Netanyahu. In the post, Netanyahu described himself and Modi as special people who have built this relationship over many years. We walked together in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and since then much water has flowed in the Mediterranean Sea, the Ganges and the Jordan. He wrote in the post.

However, after India’s latest step in favor of Palestine on West Bank expansion, now all eyes are on how Prime Minister Modi will raise the issue of Gaza conflict in his talks with Netanyahu. According to Israeli economics lecturer Kafir Tashuva, India has always maintained strategic balance in the affairs of the Middle East.

This will provide India an opportunity to deepen cooperation with Israel in areas such as defence, technology and economic integration, while also maintaining diplomatic engagement with the Palestinian leadership and strong ties with Arab countries. He said quoting the media. It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Modi and Netanyahu have discussed the Gaza conflict earlier also.

India can get a big boost in defense sector

Prime Minister Modi is expected to stay at the Center for Defense Cooperation during this visit and meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is considered a leader in defense innovation globally, especially in terms of anti-ballistic missile systems, where it has developed and deployed platforms such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow.

According to earlier reports, India is considering the purchase of long-range missiles and loitering ammunition, which can be launched from air, land and sea and are capable of countering enemy defense systems. To enhance its missile defense capabilities, India is exploring joint development of anti-ballistic missile defense with Israel.

This effort is related to the Mission Sudharshan Chakra announced by Prime Minister Modi on Independence Day last year. This mission was seen as an effort to improve India’s anti-ballistic missile defense and develop long-range conventional ballistic missiles. Apart from defence, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel will also discuss issues like science and technology, agriculture and clean drinking water.