Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 13 November 2014 visited Israel to discuss bilateral issues including strengthening security ties and fight against terror.

This is the first visit by a Home Minister of India to Israel since 2000 when L K Advani visited Jerusalem, marking an upsurge in bilateral cooperation.

Highlights of the Visit
During his visit, he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held discussions to strengthen India and Israel bilateral relations.

Both the leaders also discussed the regional situation and the evolving threats to the global communities from terror.
Besides, Rajnath Singh also made a strong pitch for cooperation in the field of cyber security.

He visited holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem and the Jordan valley, northern and southern region of Israel by helicopter with National Security Adviser of Israel Yossi Cohen.

He made a special reference to Make in India initiative and invited Israeli industries, including the defence sector, to take advantage of the investment friendly policies adopted by the Union government.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu expressed willingness to send the delegation from Israeli industries to visit India to explore manufacturing opportunities in different sectors.

Comment
The visit highlights the strategic importance which India attaches to Israel. India is Israel's largest purchaser of defence equipments and Israel is the second largest supplier of arms and armaments for New Delhi, next only to Russia.