India’s Prime Minister Makes History By Visiting Israel

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi arrived Israel on Tuesday for a two-day visit. It is the first time a sitting prime minister of India would be visiting that country although both nations established full diplomatic relations 25 years ago.

Visiting the Jewish state has never really been an option for past Indian leaders who feared that such visits would create a sense of alienation among the several millions of India’s Muslim population. India also has strong economic relations with many Arab countries.

These, however, are changing times. Watchers of international relations seem agreed that India’s thirst for military equipment for her defence is largely responsible for the new romance. While India has become one of the world’s biggest buyers of defence equipment, Israel’s profile in defence supplies has risen greatly. The Jewish state is now one of the world’s foremost producers and exporters of military equipment.

Significantly, visiting Palestine or paying a courtesy call on Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas is not on Modi’s schedule. Abbas visited India and met with the Prime Minister in May.