PM MODI REVOLUTIONIZING INDIA ISRAEL RELATIONS

On 17 September 1950, India officially recognised the State of Israel. From India's recognition of Israel in 1950 to the early 1990s, the relationship remained informal in nature. India formally established relations with Israel when it opened an embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992. Since the upgradation of relations in 1992, defence and agriculture formed the two main pillars of our bilateral engagement. Ties between the two nations have flourished since, primarily due to common strategic interests and security threats.

In recent years, the bilateral trade has diversified into several areas such as Textiles, Pearls & Precious Stones, Mineral Products, Chemicals, Metals, Machinery & Transport Equipments, Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture, Water Management, IT & Telecom, Science & Technology, Defense and Homeland Security and the future vision of the cooperation is of a strong hi-tech partnership as it befits two knowledge economies.

Bilateral Diplomatic Visits during NDA rule:

1. Eizer Wiezman became the first Israeli President to Visit India in 1997.
2. In 2000, L.K. Advani became the first Indian minister to visit the state of Israel followed by Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh.
3. In 2003, Ariel Sharon was the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India.
4. Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi visited Israel in October 2006.
5. PM Modi met PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly during his US visit in 2014. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel in November 2014 to observe the country's border security arrangements. This was followed by visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres visit to India.
6. In February 2015 Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon visited India to participate in Aero India 2015. Pranab Mukherjee became the first President Of India to visit Israel from October 2015.
7. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Israel in January 2016 followed by visit of Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh in September 2016. This was followed by reciprocal visit of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to India in November 2016, becoming the second Israeli President to visit the country.

OFFICIAL VISITS:

• PM Modi’s visit to Israel in July 2017.
• PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India in January 2018.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel from 4-6 July 2017 at the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Key Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Israel (4-6 July 2017) :

1. Bilateral relationship elevated to Strategic Partnership.
2. Both leaders visualized that the two countries will become close partners in development, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, defence and security.
3. India and Israel agreed to establish a "Strategic Partnership in Water and Agriculture” and will focus on water conservation, waste-water treatment and its reuse for agriculture, desalination, water utility reforms, and the cleaning of the Ganges and other rivers using advanced water technologies.
4. In order to encourage greater economic and commercial exchanges, India and Israel underlined their expectation of granting of multiple entry visas to business people for up to five years.
5. Israel welcomed India’s offer to be the "Partner Country” for the annual Technology Summit to be held in India in 2018.
6. Both sides agreed to upgrade their scientific and technological collaboration by supporting joint research and development projects in the cutting edge areas, including ‘Big Data Analytics in Health Care’.
7. To reaffirm the importance of bilateral defense cooperation over the years, it was agreed that future developments in this sphere should focus on joint development of defense products, including transfer of technology from Israel, with a special emphasis on the 'Make in India' initiative.
8. In order to promote stability and security on both governmental and private level in cyberspace, India and Israel to lay a mutual road map for implementation.
9. Recognizing that terrorism poses a grave threat to global peace and stability, the two Prime Ministers reiterated their strong commitment to combat it in all its forms and manifestations. Both leaders committed to cooperate for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
10. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitments as envisaged in the agreement on cooperation on Homeland and Public Security.
11. Noting the importance of growing people to people contacts between India and Israel, the two leaders agreed to facilitate the promotion of travel & tourism in both directions, including through the further enhancement of air links between India and Israel.

During the visit, the following Agreements were signed:

• MoU between the Department of Science & Technology, India and National Technological Innovation Authority, Israel for setting up of India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F).
•  MoU between the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation of the Republic of India and the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources of the State of Israel on National Campaign for Water Conservation in India.
• MoU between U.P. Jal Nigam, Government of Uttar Pradesh, of the Republic of India and the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources of the State of Israel on State Water Utility Reform in India.
• India-Israel Development Cooperation - Three Year Work Program in Agriculture 2018-2020.
• Plan of Cooperation Between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) regarding cooperation in Atomic Clocks.
• MoU between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) regarding cooperation in GEO-LEO Optical Link.
• MoU between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) regarding cooperation in Electric Propulsion for Small Satellites.

Key Highlights of PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India (14-19 January 2018):

1. India and Israel are working together on a Five Year Joint Work Plan for strategic cooperation in Agriculture and Water. 
2. Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in innovation, business and trade, space, homeland security and cyber, higher education and research, science and technology, tourism and culture.
3. The two prime ministers noted the commencement and implementation of India-Israel development cooperation - three-year work programme in Agriculture (2018-2020) under the stewardship of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV) and the Ministry of Agriculture of India aimed at increasing farmers’ productivity and optimization of water use efficiency.
4. The two Prime Ministers were apprised of state of progress on the twenty-eight Centres of Excellence that are being jointly established in different States of India, and that seven more Centres of Excellence have become operational since the visit of the PM Modi to Israel. The two Prime Ministers will be visiting Centre of Excellence in Vadrad, Gujarat and will inaugurate the Centre of Excellence in Bhuj, Gujarat.
5. The Prime Ministers welcomed the completion of all formalities for the launch of the India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) that was announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel.
6. In order to build a strong network between the next generation of the best women scientists and technologists of the two countries, an India-Israel Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Symposium will be organized in October, 2018 in India.
7. Initiation of cooperation between India and Israel in the energy sector with the signing of an MoU on Cooperation in the Oil and Gas sector that will promote, inter alia, collaboration in the upstream sectors, research and development in future technologies and start-ups in oil and gas.
8. Israel declared its willingness to be a “Partner Country” in International Solar Alliance.
9. The two Prime Ministers decided to expedite the conclusion of an Agreement on Maritime Transport that will encourage greater business between the shipping organizations of India and Israel, and create new opportunities in maritime services and training. This Agreement encourage wider cooperation in development of maritime business and Israel’s participation in the Sagarmala Project.
10. An Indian Cultural Centre will open in Israel in 2018 to promote greater cultural understanding. Both sides have signed an MoU in Film Co-Production in recognition of the role that films play in promoting people-to-people contact.
11. Both Prime Ministers agreed to holding Festivals of India and Israel in their respective countries in the Year 2019 to further solidify friendship between the peoples of both countries.
12. Both Prime Ministers noted the readiness of Israeli companies to enter into joint ventures with Indian companies in the defence sector under the “Make in India” initiative.
13. Both sides reiterated the importance of building comprehensive cooperation in counter-terrorism, including cyber-space, and welcome the signing of the MoU on Cooperation in Cyber Security between India and Israel.
14. The two Prime Ministers discussed the developments pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. They reaffirmed their support for an early resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians for arriving at a comprehensive negotiated solution on all outstanding issues, based on mutual recognition and effective security arrangements, for establishing a just and durable peace in the region.

       List of MOU’s/Agreements signed:

•  MOU on Cybersecurity.
•  MOU in Oil & Gas Sector
•   Air Transport Agreement
•   Film Co-Production Agreement
•   MOU for research in Homeopathic medicine
•   MOU for cooperation in Space
•   MOU between Invest India and Invest in Israel
•   Letter of Intent for cooperation in the area of metal-air batteries.
•  Letter of Intent in the area of concentrated solar thermal technologies