Prime Minister Modi To Embark On A Two-Day Maiden Visit To Israel On 5 July

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to Israel on 5 July, Hindustan Times has reported. This will be the first ever visit to the Jewish nation by an Indian Prime Minister since its formation in 1948.

The groundwork for Modi’s visit was laid by defence secretary G Mohan Kumar attending the meeting of a joint working group on military cooperation in April. This will be taken forward by the visit of Foreign secretary S Jaishankar.

The visit is important not just because it is the first by an Indian Prime Minister, but also because it brings one of India’s most crucial partnerships out from purdah.

India’s relationship with Israel has been strong, mostly in the realm of defence. India is the largest buyer of Israeli military hardware and the two nations inked a $2 billion defence deal for supply of over 80,000 MR-SAM missiles last week. The relationship is set to move beyond defence with this visit.

The visit, a two-day long affair, will be followed by Modi’s participation in the G-20 Summit at Hamburg in Germany on 7-8 July. He is expected to meet, among other world leaders, US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the summit.

Also Read: Modi’s Israel Visit Will Bring This Critical Relationship Out Of Purdah