ISRAELI MEDIA REACTION ON NARENDRA MODI'S VISIT TO PALESTINE скачать в хорошем качестве

ISRAELI MEDIA REACTION ON NARENDRA MODI'S VISIT TO PALESTINE

India has long been a leading country in the traditionally pro-Palestinian Non-Aligned Movement, but has developed warm relations with Israel in recent years. Modi tweeted Friday that he was looking forward to talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and “reaffirming our support for the Palestinian people and the development of Palestine.” In July, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, but did not include the Palestinians in his itinerary. The Times of India reported last month the visit was part of an effort to “de-hyphenate” New Delhi’s relations between Israelis and Palestinians, noting that in the past, the government had attempted to balance its relations with both sides at the same time. Modi’s visit to the region comes weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warmly welcomed during a five-day trip to India that sought to promote diplomatic and military ties between Jerusalem and New Delhi. Last week, Indian government officials confirmed for the first time that a massive deal to purchase anti-tank missiles from Israel’s Rafael weapons manufacturer is back on the table after it had been previously canceled by Delhi. According to Indian media reports, the countries are negotiating how many Spike anti-tank guided missiles will be bought from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and their price, with senior officials in Narendra Modi’s government quoted as saying the order should be around 3,000 missiles Last April, Israel and India signed a military deal worth nearly $2 billion, that includes the supply over several years of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers, and communications technology. India, which has longstanding territorial disputes with neighbors China and Pakistan, has signed several big-ticket defense deals since Modi came to power in 2014. It has been moving away from relying on traditional ally Russia for military hardware, and has deepened its ties to Israel, diplomatically and militarily.