Benjamin Netanyahu lands, PM breaks protocol to receive him at airport

Breaking protocol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the airport to receive his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived here on Sunday with a 130-member business and defence delegation. The first visit of any Israeli PM since 2003 will mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between the two countries.

In the past, Modi has shown such courtesy to President Barack Obama, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, and Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina. Modi's hug and a warm handshake with the Israeli PM comes over a month after India joined 127 nations at the United Nations to vote for a resolution opposing US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. While Israel said the vote will not be allowed to hit the relations, its Ambassador in New Delhi Danial Carmon had expressed disappointment, saying his country was expecting a different vote from a friend like India.

Upon arrival, both the PMs headed to Teen Murti square to attend a ceremony to mark its formal renaming as Teen Murti Haifa Chowk to commemorate the sacrifices of Indian soldiers who as part of the British army liberated the city of Haifa in 1918 defeating the Turks. The liberation cleared a supply route for the allies to Middle East through the sea and proved critical paving way to the creation of the Jewish state 30 years later.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting PM to discuss steps to strengthen strategic partnership.

Both sides will hold official-level bilateral and restricted talks on Monday to pave way for various projects related to cooperation in innovation, technology transfer, defence supplies, and robust economic relations.

The issue of India's vote at the UN will also figure in the talks.

Modi also hosted a dinner for Netanyahu, which was attended by his senior cabinet colleagues. Israeli PM will begin his official engagements on Monday by calling on President Ram Nath Kovind and inspecting a guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan. On Tuesday, he will visit the Taj Mahal and then attend the annual "Raisina Dialogue" geo-political conference.

Given a sense of the expected outcomes from the visit, a senior Israeli official said the two nations are working overtime to announce deals related to joint investments in areas of renewable energy, water management, and horticulture as well as in defence and renewable energy sector.

The Indian government has already indicated that a deal with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, worth $500 million to purchase Spike anti-tank guided missiles is back on the table. India had cancelled the deal after the Israeli firm refused to share critical technology.

India is now one of Israel's biggest arms market, buying around $1 billion worth of weapons every year. Sources said that both sides are also looking at cooperation in space technology. India had launched an Israeli spy satellite, TecSAR, in 2008. Later, it also bought a similar satellite from Israel, RISAT-2, to keep an eye on its hostile neighbours. In the wake of tensions with Pakistan and China, India has renewed interest in seeking help from Israel to keep tabs on borders.

Since 2004, while there was no downscaling of defence relations, the ties missed the political content. Soon after Modi assumed office, the relations were brought out of closet. "The message was sent loud and clear that India and Israel share a friendship that they no longer need to keep under wraps," said a government official.

Security in the national capital was upped. Sources here said that due to the threat perception, a seven-layer security ring, mostly reserved for the US President, has been thrown around. Israeli commandos who have taken over the Taj Mahal Hotel have deployed a special unit to monitor kitchen supplies and have also set up special control over telecommunications in collaborations with their Indian counterparts.

Netanyahu is going to spend a day in PM Modi's home state on Wednesday. Modi had earlier held a joint road show with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was in Gujarat last September for a function.

Netanyahu also arrived here with a desalination vehicle to present it to Modi. The vehicle can purify 20,000 litres of sea water daily and 80,000 litres of muddy and contaminated river.

On the last leg of his visit in Mumbai, Netanyahu will meet Bollywood stars to boost cultural linkages and offer Israel a destination for shooting films. He will also host a power breakfast with the top business leaders in Mumbai. He will later preside over the India–Israel Business Summit.