Israel PM calls Modi a friend, seeks Indian support for tech

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi believes a revolution in India was not possible without Israel.

Displaying India’s intent to take its relationship with Jerusalem to an ‘unprecedented level’, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi believes a revolution in India was not possible without Israel.

President Pranab Mukherjee looks at pictures of those killed during the Holocaust in the Hall of Names in Jerusalem on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

Referring to the Indian PM as ‘my friend Modi’ during his speech at Knesset – the Israeli Parliament – Netanyahu said Modi has told him he wants to bring about a revolution in four critical areas that are also manifested through the colours of the Indian flag – solar energy (saffron), water (blue), agriculture (green) and dairy (white).

He sought to connect with India, saying one hears only “Hindi and Hebrew” at the Silicon Valley and Israel would like to seek the support of Indian mathematicians and software professionals in Cyber Security Park in Jerusalem, a centre of which could come up in Bengaluru later.

Netanyahu’s remarks about Modi came in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee. Modi is expected to visit Israel soon, though timings have not been decided, and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will also take a tour before him.

With Palestine, India’s long-standing partner, locked in the bloody conflict with Israel, New Delhi is trying to strike a fine balance between the two.

President Mukherjee walked an extra mile to showcase the deep cultural and historical connect India had with Israel.

Addressing the Knesset, he affirmed that relations between India and Israel have taken great strides in the past few years.

President Mukherjee, who drew flak in a section of the Israeli media for not speaking on “Palestine-sponsored terror”, said on Wednesday that India was distressed at the recent violence.

He also told Israeli leaders that religion could not be the basis of a state and non-violence was the way to resolve conflicts.

India’s secretary (east) Anil Wadhwa said there was a reference about the path chosen by Pakistan.