Narendra Modi Is Set to Become the First Indian Prime Minister to Visit Israel
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Israel in the near future, which will make him the first head of state from the South Asian nation to ever do so. The announcement was made by the country's Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj, in a press conference on Monday, the Times of India reported. Dates are not confirmed. Swaraj said she will also visit Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan later this year, and Modi will reportedly visit the Palestinian territories and meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well. India and Israel have had good relations ever since the former became one of the first countries to recognize the latter in 1950, and Modi shares a personal rapport with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Sources told The Hindu newspaper that the visit may take place this year, with a high-level Indian delegation set to go to Israel for bilateral talks in July. The Israeli government welcomed the news. "High level visits between both countries, as we have witnessed in the past months, are a natural ingredient of the tightening relationship between Israel and India," Israel's Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said.