Prime Minister Narendra Modi featured prominently on the front page of Israel's leading daily Jerusalem Post, on Wednesday (local time), ahead of his two-day visit to Israel. The newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Zvika Klein, shared the front page of the day's edition on social media, which carried a photograph of Prime Minister Modi waving, along with multiple stories focusing on his Israel visit and the growing ties between India and Israel.
One of the headlines read "Welcome, Modi," while another highlighted the deepening bilateral relationship with the line "New Delhi’s burgeoning partnership with Jerusalem."
Newspaper features interview of Indian envoy
The Jerusalem Post also published an interview with JP Singh, India's envoy to Israel, who spoke about the significance of Prime Minister Modi’s planned address to the Knesset. Singh described the address as historic, noting that Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to speak before the Israeli parliament.
"One of the most important elements will be that he will be the first prime minister from India to address the Knesset," Singh was quoted as saying.
Emphasising the future trajectory of bilateral ties, Singh said the aim is to broaden and deepen the relationship beyond a limited set of sectors. He noted that both countries are looking to build a comprehensive framework that includes financial cooperation, trade, and cross-border payments. He also pointed to potential collaboration on financial systems, including money transfer mechanisms and cross-border payment infrastructure.
PM Modi's Israel visit
Prime Minister Modi's visit comes at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and marks the Prime Minister's second visit to Israel, following his 2017 trip when he became the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders will review the significant progress made in the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and discuss further opportunities in various areas of cooperation, including science and technology, innovation, defence and security, agriculture, water management, trade and economy, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Prime Minister will also call on Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel. This visit will reaffirm the deep and long-standing strategic partnership between the two countries and present an opportunity to review common challenges, as well as realign efforts towards achieving their shared vision for a robust partnership between two resilient democracies.
Reflecting the significance of the diplomatic engagement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed the upcoming visit "historic", stating that the partnership continues to scale new heights.
Netanyahu described Prime Minister Modi as a "dear friend" and highlighted the growing strategic alignment between the two countries. "This morning, at the opening of our Cabinet meeting, I spoke about the historic visit of my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Israel this coming Wednesday," he said.
Calling the relationship a "powerful alliance between two global leaders", Netanyahu noted that Israel and India are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision. "Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress," he added, specifically referring to cooperation in emerging technologies and broader geopolitical coordination.
Providing further details on the itinerary, Netanyahu confirmed that the Prime Minister will arrive on Wednesday and deliver a speech at the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
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