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Latest Updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with his wife Sara visited the 17th century Mughal monument Taj Mahal. Netanyahu was received by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Kheria Airport. He was accorded a traditional welcome by Braj folk artists on his arrival at the airport, the chief minister’s office said on Twitter. The dignitaries spent some time at Hotel Amar Vilas before leaving for the monument in golf carts. In view of the Israeli prime minister’s visit, the Taj Mahal remained closed for over two hours for tourists. The route from the Kheria Airport to the Taj Mahal was sealed and extra security arrangements were made. According to officials, the visiting dignitary will have lunch at Hotel Amar Vilas before leaving for New Delhi. Netanyahu arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a six-day visit. The Israeli prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate the third edition of the geo-political conference, ‘Raisina Dialogue’, in Delhi later today. On Monday, India and Israel signed nine MoUs, including those on film cooperation, cyber cooperation. Benjamin Netanyahu is the first Israeli Prime Minister in 15 years to visit India but he comes at a time when his political standing is at the weakest in his three-decade long career. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu held the joint press statement and exchanged nine MoUs between the two nations. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and then proceeded to Rajghat in New Delhi, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, to pay tribute to the “great leader”. He then proceeded to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House at noon. Netanyahu’s visit to India is only the second by an Israeli prime minister and comes after a gap of 15 years. The visit also marks 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. His visit assumes even more significance as it comes just over six months after the visit of Modi to Israel, which was the first ever Indian prime ministerial visit to the West Asian nation. It also comes just days after India voted against Israel at the United Nations on the Jerusalem issue. Netanyahu is expected to focus on economic issues and Palestine is not likely to be the
central part of discussions
with Modi, Israeli daily Jerusalem Post reported. [caption id=“attachment_4303367” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Twitter/ @PMOIndia[/caption] Netanyahu will formally be welcomed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, on Monday followed by a visit to Rajghat, Mohandas Gandhi’s memorial. During his stay, Netanyahu will also visit Gujarat and Mumbai. On Monday, Netanyahu will meet members at the India-Israeli CEO forum in New Delhi and address a separate business event. In a sign of growing importance to the ties with Israel, the government on Sunday renamed Delhi’s Teen Murti Chowk as Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk after the Israeli city. Modi and Netanyahu laid a wreath at the iconic Teen Murti war memorial where they were received by army chief General Bipin Rawat and foreign secretary S Jaishankar. The two leaders paid homage to Indian soldiers who fell in the Battle of Haifa during World War I. Netanyahu’s entourage includes the largest-ever delegation of Israeli business people, of some 130. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, these businessmen include senior executives of Aeronautics Defense Systems — an Israeli drone maker currently under criminal investigation by the police’s international crimes division. At least nine commercial agreements are expected be signed during the visit. These include memoranda of understanding on gas and oil, renewable energy, aviation, industrial research and development, cybersecurity, reciprocal investments, supplementary medicine, space research and joint movie productions, Haaretz said. On Tuesday, Netanyahu will fly to Agra to view the iconic Taj Mahal. Netanyahu and Modi will open the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual geopolitical conference to be attended by people from around the world, including former US nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman, in Delhi. The Israeli prime minister will deliver a speech at the Raisina Dialogue on on Tuesday and also call on President Ram Nath Kovind. He will then leave for Ahmedabad on the morning of 17 January. In Ahmedabad, he will visit the Sabarmati Ashram. Modi and Netanyahu will also visit the Centre of Excellence in Vadrad and inaugurate a Centre of Excellence for date palms in Bhuj via video conferencing. The Israeli prime minister will have a number of engagements in Mumbai on 18 January. The Israeli embassy had said that Netanyahu will meet with Jewish community leaders and select members of the Indian business community in Mumbai. The Israeli embassy said he will reach out to Bollywood in an exclusive “Shalom Bollywood” event. In Mumbai, he will also attend a ceremony at the Chabad House, which will be attended by Moshe Holtzberg, the 11-year-old whose parents were killed during the 26/11 terror strike. Netanyahu will return to Israel on Friday afternoon from Mumbai. With inputs from agencies
Benjamin Netanyahu in India updates: Astounded to know Modi's policy propelled India 42 places in EODB, says Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu will be formally welcomed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, on Monday followed by a visit to Rajghat
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Benjamin Netanyahu says intelligence sharing key to deal with terrorism
Visuals from Benjamin Netanyahu’s meet with Jewish community leaders in India
Benjamin Netanyahu calls Narendra Modi ‘great patriot of India’
Speaking to Times Now, Israeli prime minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “a great patriot of India” and that he does “what is good for India.”
“When he thinks about increasing vegetable production, enhancing indian security against terrorism, catapulting young Indians into future with technological know-how, I think he’s thinking about what is good for India. I think he is right,” said Netanyahu
India-Israel partnership is of civilisations, of two democracies: Netanyahu
“This kind of cooperation that we have, with technology on one side and agriculture on the other is so good for every aspect of life. for water, for agricultre, for security. This has statutory benefits,” Benjamin Netanyahu told Times Now.
Netanyahu further added that despite their being markets, and other aspects, he saw the partnership differently. “I see it (India-Israel relations) as a partnership of civilisations, a partnership of two democracies,” he said,
Watch: India-Israel partnership is real, says Netanyahu
Speaking to Times Now on his visit to Center of Excellence for Vegetables in Gujarat, Benjamin Netanyahu said that he interacted with farmers who had had their incomes multiply because of the center. “This is tremendous. If we can have that multiplied through half of India, it means we’ve raised the living standards for a massive number of Indians. I mean, this partnership is real,” he said.
Israel’s ambassador to India thanks Devendra Fadnavis for hosting Benjamin Netanyahu
Visuals from Netanyahu’s interaction with Jewish community in India
Visuals from Devendra Fadnavis and Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to 26/11 memorial at Taj Hotel
Benjamin Netanyahu marks Moshe’s height in his former Nariman House room
After Benjamin Netanyahu and Moshe Holtzberg visited Nariman House on Thursday, the Israeli prime minister shared an image of the two in one of the rooms formerly occupied by the 26/11 survivor and his parents. “I added today a mark of Moshe’s height to the wall where his mother had marked his height,” Netanyahu said in the tweet.
‘Living memorial’ at Chabad House
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahi made a formal announcement on Thursday on the setting up of a living memorial at Nariman House, that was under siege during the 26/11 terror attacks.
According to Hindustan Times, the proposed memorial would include a small terrace garden and rooms on the fifth floor of the building where Moshe and his parents — Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg — stayed before the attack. The fourth floor is likely to be converted into a museum.
Netanyahu says Moshe Holtzberg was unharmed during 26/11 because of his nanny’s love
Israeli prime minister Benjamin said that the terrorists could not harm Moshe because of the love shown by his nanny.
“In the past, the Jewish people have witnessed a lot of challenges but with the help of God they overcame everything. The people of Israel are living and will live forever,” he said at the Chabad House, or the Nariman House in Mumbai.
PTI
Israel’s official Twitter handle calls technology and entrepreneurship ‘one of major engines for India-Israel partnership
Chabad House a unique blend of love and hatred: Netanyahu
The Chabad House is a unique blend of love and hatred towards the people of Israel, the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Thursday.
He was addressing people at the Chabad House, or the Nariman House, after meeting 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg whose father Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and mother Rivka were killed along with six others there during the 26/11 terror attacks. Moshe, then a toddler of two years, was miraculously saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel, who now lives in Israel.
“This place is a unique merge between love for Israeli people and the hatred towards the people of Israel. The nation of Israel is known for salvation,” Netanyahu told the gathering in Hebrew.
The Israeli prime minister thanked Moshe for hosting him and showing him his room in the Chabad House. “Your parents showed love to the people and welcomed all to this house. They provided for every Jew a home. This is loving Israel but terrorists showed hatred towards Israel,” he said.
PTI
Watch: Moshe Holtzberg’s grandparents say Mumbai visit an ’emotional return’ for him
Netanyahu and Moshe’s ’emotional reunion’ in Mumbai
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday visited the Chabad House here along with Moshe Holtzberg, who as a two-year-old was orphaned in the carnage there during the 2008 terror attack.
Sporting the trademark Jewish small brimless cloth cap, ‘Kippah,’ Netanyahu was warmly welcomed by the present Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky and other officials of Chabad House in the afternoon.
The bespectacled Moshe, now 11, also sporting the ‘Kippah’ and a dark suit, had an emotional ‘reunion’ meeting with the Israel prime minister, as his Indian saviour nanny Sandra Samuel and grandparents flanked them in a small room in the Chabad House, in Nariman House, Colaba.
PTI
‘Moshe-Netanyahu visit to Mumbai of immense emotional importance’
Speaking to CNN-News18, a Jewish resident in Mumbai said, “This (Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 26/11 survivor Moshe Holtzberg) visit to Mumbai is of immense emotional importance to the entire world. This visit shows the courage which Israel stands for.”
Netanyahu, Moshe unveil plans for 26/11 ’living memorial’ at Chabad House
According to Chabad.org , 26/11 survivor Moshe Holtzbeg and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled the plans for the living memorial on Thursday. Netanyahu also unveiled a plaque in the memory of Moshe’s parents, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg. This was followed by Moshe’s two grandmothers lighting an “eternal flame” in remembrance of the victims.
Netanyahu meets Moshe Holtzberg at Chabad House
The Nariman House, renamed as Chabad House, was under siege during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Netanyahu pays tributes to 26/11 terror attack victims
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Netanyahu, along with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, laid wreath at the memorial of the terror attack victims, that claimed 166 lives, at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in south Mumbai under a heavy security blanket.
The Israeli prime minister also wrote a message in the visitor’s book at the place.
Netanyahu will later visit the nearby Nariman House, where he will meet 11-year-old Israeli boy Moshe Holtzberg. Moshe’s father Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and mother Rivka were killed at the Nariman House during the 2008 attacks.
PTI
Netanyahu calls Indo-Israel friendship ‘match made in heaven’
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday termed his country’s partnership with India as one “made in heaven”, which rests on shared values of love for humanity, democracy and freedom.
Addressing the India-Israel Business Summit, Netanyahu mentioned the “deep personal friendship” he shares with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, adding that the warmth goes deeper, right up to the common man.
On the last leg of his four-day India visit, which he described as extraordinary, Netanyahu said there is a deep and abiding respect for India, it’s people and culture.“We are the two oldest cultures on earth. We are democracies, we share our love for freedom, and we share our love for humanity. We are truly your partners. This is a partnership made in heaven,” Netanyahu said, while appealing to Indian businesses to invest in Israel.
PTI
India-Israel business doing wonders, says Netanyahu
Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said “the business partnership between India and Israel is doing wonders” and that he has developed “a strong personal friendship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His remarks came at a power-breakfast where he held discussions with top Indian CEOs, industrialists and bankers at the iconic Hotel Taj Mahal Palace. Among the CEOs present were Ashok Hinduja, Anand Mahindra, Adi Godrej, Ajay Piramal, Harsh Goenka and Chanda Kochhar, with whom Netanyahu cheerfully interacted before getting down to breakfast-cum-business.
“The future belongs to those who innovate and it is our job to encourage you to innovate. It is very crucial for you and your Israeli counterparts to meet,” Netanyahu said.
IANS
(Image courtesy: Twitter/Froim)
Meanwhile, Congress cries foul over ‘illegal hoardings’ of Netanyahu and Modi across Mumbai
Secret behind Israel’s cyber power is being 2nd largest spender on security and IT after US: Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group
Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, met Benjamin Netanyahu during the ‘power breakfast’ in Mumbai
Visuals from Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Indian CEOs in Mumbai
Deepening ties with Israel a discernible shift from Nehruvian diplomacy
If internationalism is shared history, India and Israel were destined for amity. Both nations, however different in their geographical constituency, were carved with an intense political struggle against their hostile neighbourhood, each with a keen sense of civilizational significance in its emergence.
Although the early Zionists, such as David Ben-Gurion, were keen to woo Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru – whom they perceived to be the architects of modern India, whose support would, in turn, legitimise Israel as a political idea – the two were not convinced, inspired ideologically by the Palestinian cause and politically by the need to weld the Muslim minority into the national struggle and the postcolonial nation.
Read full article here‘Want to collaborate more with Israel for farmers’ benefit’
Maharashtra right place to forge alliance, says Fadnavis
“Maharashtra is the right place to forge alliance. I look forward to many more alliances between Maharashtra and Israel,” says CM Devendra Fadnavis.
“I’m sure in time to come, we will see many Israeli businesses mainly in technology and agriculture flourishing, collaborating and cooperating with Indian businesses,” he adds.
Acknowledge Jewish community’s role in India’s development: Fadnavis
‘India, Israel can become the best partners’: Devendra Fadnavis
“The way the Jewish community has assimilated with the Indian community here is very good. India and Israel can become the best partners. A new chapter of friendship and relationship started when Modi visited Israel last year,” said Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the India-Israel Business Summit on Thursday.
“The agriculture practices used in Israel are very impressive. We are going to sign an MoU for irrigation with an Israeli firm to help sustain the water-starved regions of Maharashtra,” Fadnavis added.
WATCH: CM Devendra Fadnavis at India-Israel Business Summit
Devendra Fadnavis speaks at India-Israel Business Summit
India and Israel are a match made in heaven, says Netanyahu
“India and Israel are democracies and share the love for freedom. We are a match made in heaven,” says Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the business summit in Mumbai.
PTI
‘Wish to collaborate with old friend, India’
India-Israel partnership reaching wonderful heights, says Netanyahu
“India-Israel partnership is reaching unprecedented heights. This is beginning of a wonderful friendship where possibilities are boundless,” says Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the India-Israel Business Summit in Mumbai.
PTI
‘Every step of way, Netanyahu stresses on importance of innovation’: Avigail CJ Spira, Israel Embassy spokesperson
Benjamin Netanyahu meets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at India-Israel Business Summit