In a highly unusual move, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi will not meet with the Palestinian Authority during his scheduled visit to Israel next month, The Times of Israel reported Thursday.
“This is going to be a purely bilateral visit. He is coming to visit us, and only us,” a senior official in Jerusalem told the paper. “It’s a great achievement for us,” he added.
The decision is out of step with the typical behavior of foreign dignitaries visiting Israel, most of whom, if not all, also meet with representatives of the Palestinian Authority either in Ramallah or Bethlehem.
Stronger relations between Israel and India, in recognition of increasingly overlapping interests, have raised questions over India’s traditional support for the Palestinian cause and its relationship with Arab countries. India has also adjusted its traditional pro-Palestinian voting patterns at international forums like the United Nations in Israel’s favor.
Trade and economic relations between the two countries have developed and diversified rapidly since the 1990s. In 1992, bilateral trade between Israel and India was worth $200 million. Today, it stands in excess of $5 billion, excluding defense contracts.
Indo-Israeli collaboration in the defense sector is particularly strong and established. Israel now ranks number three among India’s top arms suppliers after Russia and the United States, with annual contracts worth $1 billion. Besides cooperation in the defense and agricultural sectors, Israel has become India’s leading partner in clean technologies and water management.
Modi is due to arrive in Israel for his first-ever visit on July 4. During his three-day stay, he is scheduled to meet with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, hold a rally for Israelis of Indian descent, and tour agricultural and technological sites.
It was reported in February that Air India is planning to announce the inauguration of a Tel Aviv-Mumbai route at the time of Modi’s visit.
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