The Business Of Friendship

With a heavy emphasis On Business, Technology and Entrepreneurship, PM Modi’s historic visit to Israel attempts to take the relationship to the next level.

- Sandeep Unnithan

Few foreign visits by an Indian head of government have been as loaded with symbolism as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Israel. This could be simply because the visit, the first by an Indian PM since diplomatic ties were established in 1992, was so long in the making. “We’ve been waiting 70 years,” Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said after warm hugs and a rare red-carpet welcome on the tarmac of Ben Gurion airport. During his own speech, PM Modi referenced a lot of common ground between the two countries, from Haifa—a cavalry charge by Indian lancers during the First World War liberated that town—to recalling his host’s older brother, Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu, who died leading the 1976 commando rescue at Entebbe airport.

There was also an emotive meeting with Moshe Holtzberg, the 10-year-old boy who survived the slaughter at Chabad House during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai nearly a decade ago. As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had visited Mumbai while the attacks were on, presciently noting that it was the first time terrorists had attacked foreign nationals— Britons, Americans and Israelis—on Indian soil. An invitation extended by Prime Minister Netanyahu to the young Holtzberg to accompany him to a visit to Mumbai underlines how 26/11 is a common meeting ground. Both countries reiterated their resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms, but this was not the surprising highlight of the joint vision statement.