The Economic Times has a story on India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s preparation for his visit to Israel – preparation that started back in 2015 when a B’nai B’rith International delegation visited India.
Scroll down to read the story or click below to read it on EconomicTimes.com.
NEW DELHI: Preparations for PM Modi’s Israel trip began early in 2015 when a multinational delegation of B’nai B’rith International, the oldest Jewish service organisation, visited India and held multiple meetings with lawmakers and cultural organisations.
According to insiders, the delegation met with members of Parliament; senior foreign ministry and other government officials; preeminent Muslim and other religious leaders; members of the royal families of Udaipur and Cochin; US and Israeli ambassadors; leaders and members of Jewish communities; and prominent business leaders and thinktanks.
The B’nai B’rith team, which had paid tributes to the victims of the 2008 terrorist attacks at the Chabad House and other sites in Mumbai, had also met lawmakers regarding India’s relationship with Israel. B’nai B’rith leaders, among other things, discussed global terrorism, Israel’s search for peace with its neighbours, Iranian nuclear program, the UN stand on the Middle East and the need to promote interreligious tolerance globally, said former BJP MP Tarun Vijay, who had coordinated the meetings of the delegation in India.
Last year, for the first time, an informal parliamentary committee of MPs was formed to discuss the political and cultural implications of the Indo-Israel relationship. Headed by Vijay, the group consisted of MPs Dilip Pandya, Parimal Nathwani, Mahant Shambhu Prasad Tundiya and RK Singh of BJP; Vincent Pala, Rajiv Gowda, Bhaskar Ropulu, Ninong Ering of Congress; and Nadimijul Haque of TMC.
In one of the meetings, Israeli ambassador had spoken on agricultural and defence ties between the two countries. “Israel’s relationship with India is very unique and is based on trust. It is a relationship like no other and that can be established by the way it assisted us with speedy ammunition during the Kargil war,” Vijay told ET.
