After historic Israel visit, PM Modi leaves for Germany to attend G20 Summit

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday left for the German city of Hamburg to attend the G20 Summit after wrapping up his historic three-day visit to Israel during which he discussed key issues like terrorism and economic cooperation with the top Israeli leadership. "I thank the people and Government of Israel for their hospitality. This successful visit will add more energy to India-Israel relations," Modi said in a tweet. "A historic visit, filled with many firsts and the promise of future ends as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes beyond protocol again to bid farewell to Prime Minister (Narendra Modi)," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a tweet. "As journey concludes, voyage begins. With sea of opportunities ahead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes ground-breaking visit. #IndiaIsraelFriendship," he said in another tweet. Modi, who became the first Indian prime minister to visit the Jewish nation, signed seven agreements to boost bilateral cooperation in key areas like science and technology, water, research and space. The historic visit saw India and Israel elevate their ties to the strategic partnership level with both vowing to do "much more together" to combat growing radicalisation and terrorism while pitching for strong action against those financing and providing sanctuaries to terror groups. During the visit, Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and underlined the need for the establishment of a just and durable peace in the region that has been marred by years of conflict. This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations. Modi will attend the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8 in Hamburg. The theme chosen for this year is 'Shaping an Inter- connected World'. Netanyahu touted Israel's ties with the world's most populous democracy as a "marriage made in heaven," while Modi proclaimed that their goal was "to build a relationship that reflects our shared priorities and draws on enduring bonds between our peoples." Though India kept a frosty distance from Israel during the Cold War, aligning itself with the Soviets and favoring the Palestinian cause, the past two decades have seen New Delhi forge ever closer diplomatic and trade relations with the Jewish state. Bilateral trade has skyrocketed from $200 million in 1992, when India and Israel established diplomatic ties, to $4.16 billion in 2016, according to the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. Even so, that figure remains far below Israel's nearly $40 billion in annual bilateral trade with its largest partners, the US and EU. Both countries appear set on reducing that gap. Billions of dollars in Israeli arms sales to New Delhi have formed the bedrock of diplomatic detente. Israel is India's third-largest supplier of weapons after the United States and Russia. Earlier this year, Israel's state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries announced over $2 billion in air and missile-defense contracts with India. Modi and Netanyahu, both leaders of nationalist parties, said they discussed greater security cooperation, encompassing counterterrorism and cybersecurity. Amid a handful of high-level trade agreements, three Israeli defense firms announced a new deal to provide India with top-of-the-line combat drones. Modi's visit, the first by an Indian prime minister, marks 25 years of diplomatic relations. He visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, embraced a boy whose parents were killed in a 2008 massacre in Mumbai carried out by Islamic militants, and addressed an ecstatic crowd of Indian Jews in Tel Aviv. Modi did not meet with any Palestinian officials during his visit. Indian and Palestinian officials say there was no snub, noting that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Modi in India in May.