Modi leaves Israel for Germany

On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi along with his Israeli counterpart, will visit Haifa cemetery, the cemetery of the fallen Indian soldiers in the first world war and place wreath on the grave areas. “I am happy that India-Israel start-up bridge has been formally launched today”, India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a tweet quoting Modi.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wants to make the most of PM Modi’s visit to his country.

India and Israel today launched a five-year technology fund, reminiscent of a fund that boosted the Jewish state’s ties with USA over four decades, and agreed to holds talks for an investment protection treaty in a bid to boost trade and business ties. With this visit, Narendra Modi has turned India’s stance on the Palestine issue upside down. “India should ban products from these illegal settlements as helping them flourish economically blatantly undermines its own global obligations”.

“Now, we are moving towards modern tax regime, which is transparent, stable and predictable”, he said.

While job creators are being given tax relief, he said that innovators and entrepreneurs are being encouraged.

“Paying no heed to the concerns raised by the United Nations on the increasing number of violation of human rights of the Palestinians, Israel has continued to be an aggressor and that is why India had always taken a diplomatic stand against Israel”. According to the Haaretz newspaper, Israel’s Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon on Monday said that Israel would continue to raise the issue.

Modi, along with Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday launched an India-Israel Innovation Bridge created to link start-up companies and innovators of the two countries.

“The real potential is allowing Israeli technology to access the Indian market by manufacturing products for the world, ” Shiv Khemka, Vice-Chairman of the Sun Group that partners with hi-tech Israeli companies like Eccopia that produces robotic non-water cleaners for solar panels at a factory in Haryana, and water purifiers told The Hindu here.

Anti-Israeli sentiment has never been strong among them, as the many young Israelis who’ve travelled among India’s 180 million Muslims can testify.

Haifa was captured by the Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers from Turkish and German forces on September 23, 1918.

On Wednesday, Modi and Netanyahu signed a joint statement that called for peace between Israel and the Palestinians but didn’t mention a two-state solution – a key demand of the PLO. Both the leaders, dressed casually, carefully listened to the demonstration at the Gal-Mobile water desalination unit on Olga Beach and also had a long chat among themselves. It can be used during times of disasters to provide drinking water.

It was for the first time in 70 years, he said, that an Indian Prime Minister got the opportunity to visit Israel.