Prime Minister Narendra Modi has featured on the front page of the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post ahead of his two-day visit to the country beginning Wednesday.
This is PM Modi’s first visitt to Israel as prime minister since 2017, before his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu reciprocated with a visit to India the following year.
The newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein posted the front page of today’s edition showing a photo of the PM waving his hands along with feature stories based on his visit to the Israel and India-Israel ties.
The page had a bold headline over Modi’s image titled ‘Namaste Shalom’ – ‘Namaste in Hindi and Shalom in Hebrew, which means “peace” and is also commonly used as ‘hello’ in Hebrew. Two ancient nations open a new chapter, read a line below it.
One headline read “Welcome, Modi,” while another one read “New Delhi’s burgeoning partnership with Jerusalem”.
The trip is also PM Modi’s first trip to Israel after Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire governed by the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” in October last year. Last week, India joined more than 100 other nations condemning Israel’s expansion in the West Bank.
“Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years. I will be meeting with PM Netanyahu to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation across diverse fields. I will also meet President Isaac Herzog, President of Israel,” PM Modi said in his departure statement.
‘The Modi doctrine’
The Jerusalem Post also features an article titled ‘The Modi doctrine and India’s growing partnership with Israel’, which basically narrates how Modi’s ascent to power and his subsequent embrace of Israel mark “a dramatic departure” from India’s history.
“In 1947, India voted against the establishment of the State of Israel at the UN, and for four decades, New Delhi remained one of the loudest voices for the Palestinian cause. Yet, during his 2017 trip, Modi did not visit the Palestinian Authority,” the newspaper reads.
In 2017, PM Modi became the first Indian PM to visit the Jewish state, shattering decades of diplomatic hesitation.
‘Largest English-language daily’
The Jerusalem Post is the largest English-language daily in Israel and has been published since 1932. The Jerusalem Post is owned by the Jerusalem Post Group, a media company controlled by Israeli businessman Eli Azur. He acquired the newspaper in 2004 through his company Mirkaei Tikshoret, which continues to own and operate it today.
The Jerusalem Post also features an interview with the Indian envoy to Israel, JP Singh, about the significance of PM Modi’s planned Knesset address, which he described as a first for an Indian Prime Minister.
“One of the most important elements will be that he will be the first prime minister from India to address the Knesset,” Singh was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit comes at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The visit comes amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, with the Pentagon mobilizing its military assets in the region. Iran and the US are expected to hold new talks in Geneva on Thursday over Iran’s nuclear programme.
What’s PM Modi’s agenda in Israel?
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders will review the significant progress made in the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and discuss further opportunities in various areas of cooperation, including science and technology, innovation, defense and security, agriculture, water management, trade and economy, and people-to-people exchanges.
PM Modi will also call on Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel. This visit will reaffirm the deep, long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries and present an opportunity to review common challenges and realign efforts towards achieving their shared vision of a robust partnership between two resilient democracies.
Earlier announcing Modi’s visit, Netanyahu described the Indian Prime Minister as a “dear friend” and highlighted the growing strategic alignment between the two countries.
“Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress,” he added, specifically referring to cooperation in emerging technologies and broader geopolitical coordination.
Key Takeaways
- PM Modi’s visit marks a significant shift in India’s diplomatic stance towards Israel, moving from historical hesitation to a robust partnership.
- The visit highlights the growing strategic cooperation between India and Israel in technology, defence, and agriculture.
- Modi’s address to the Knesset represents a historical milestone, being the first Indian Prime Minister to do so.
