“The blossoming relationship between India and Israel, marked by reciprocal state visits in just a few short months, is an expression of a new and necessary alliance in a rapidly shifting world,” wrote Lord Dolar Popat in an interesting read titled 'India and Israel: A relationship inspired by our communities in the UK'. He wrote, “It is certainly true that India and Israel have a lot of common ground. The synergies of supply, demand and political priorities are striking: both countries are conscious of regional pressures, the threats to security and the need for a strong military presence.”
The Jewish community in Britain is a self-sufficient group that has been defying all odds, as history admits, to make a place for themselves in the country. Deriving a comparison between the Jewish and the Indian communities in the UK, Lord Popat rightly talked about the cultural similarities between the two. “I believe the success of the British Indian community is owed in no small part to the example set by our Jewish friends. Like them, we were guided by aspiration, a passionate belief in enterprise and education, not to mention faith, family and community. Today we are friends, neighbours and business partners. India-Israel relations mirror the process started in the UK in the 1970s and continues to this day,” he wrote.
In the article that dripped of special warmth for the Jewish community, Lord Popat talked about Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home-state Gujarat. It is no secret that Modi holds a special place in his heart for the Jewish community. Even when he was chief minister, he was known to hold special ties with them. His strong bond with Netanyahu was more than evident when he broke protocol with a surprise welcome at the airport and a hug when the leader arrived in New Delhi. The Israeli PM's six-day visit was as Jewish media described, “unprecedented”. Why wouldn't it be? There isn't anything in the world like a Gujarati's hospitality.
PM Netanyahu along with his wife Sara and their enthusiastic and charming host Modi, made a one-day stop in Gujarat. They set out in a car from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport, only to be greeted with performances and the public, who cheered for their leader and his guests. Over 50 stages were erected along the decorated roads as both, Modi and Netanyahu waved at the people. The roadshow which stretched up to 8 km, concluded at the Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram. Both the guests tried their hands at Gandhi's cherished spinning wheel. The visit to Gujarat coincided with the festival of Uttarayan. It was made sure that the guests took a try at flying kites in the ashram.
A statement released by the PMO said the couple “were greeted there by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as thousands of residents lined the streets waving Israel and Indian flags. Hundreds of signs were hung with the pictures of the two prime ministers and 'Welcome to Amdavad' in Hebrew. Street appearances with traditional dances and special bands were also held.” Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem said, “This is an unprecedented welcome. In all my years at the Foreign Ministry, I have not seen such a special and impressive welcome with so many participants. The residents took to the streets to honour and applaud the prime ministers and relations between the countries.”
Both the leaders dedicated an innovation centre to the country, the iCREATE facility located outside Ahmedabad. The centre is created with the objective of facilitating entrepreneurship through creativity, innovation, engineering, product design and leveraging emerging technologies to deal with major issues. Modi and Netanyahu visited various stalls highlighting different technologies and innovations across diverse fields. Innovation has a key role to play in bringing the people of India and Israel, closer to each other, Modi said. He added that the entire world has taken note of the technological prowess and creativity of Israel.
The leaders also visited the Centre of Excellence for Vegetables in Vadrad in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, where they were briefed on various achievements of the Centre. They also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for date palms at Kukama, Kutch, through video link.
Netanyahu was accompanied by the largest-ever business delegation to travel with an Israeli leader, in his visit to Asia's third-largest economy. His team included executives in technology, agriculture, and defence.
