Modi bids farewell to Bibi, congratulates Israel’s new PM

NEW DELHI: As Benjamin Netanyahu stepped down after 12 years as PM, ending an era in Israeli politics as well as transforming relations with India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has had among the closest friendships with Netanyahu, bade him a personal farewell.
In a tweet, Modi said, “Towards the end of your successful role as prime minister of Israel, I would like to express my deep appreciation for your leadership and pay special attention to the strategic relations between India and Israel.”
Modi also congratulated Naftali Bennett who was sworn in as Israel’s new PM and said he looked forward to meeting him and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries as they celebrate 30 years of upgrade of diplomatic ties next year.
Foreign minister S Jaishankar congratulated the new Israeli foreign minister and alternate PM, Yair Lapid. “Congratulate APM and FM Yair Lapid of Israel on his appointment. Look forward to working closely together to further advance our multi-faceted strategic partnership.”
In response, Lapid tweeted,I look forward to working together to advance the strategic relations between our countries and hope to welcome you to Israel soon.” He added that Israel-India “strategic relations” would be advanced under the new government.
Lapid, the head of the Yesh Atid party, will become PM in the rotating arrangement in September 2023 under a power-sharing deal with Bennett, serving for two years till the end of the term. Modi and Netanyahu have been very close for some time. When Modi became PM in 2014, Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders who called him to congratulate. In 2017, Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Israel, a trip that was significant not only in foreign policy terms but also in terms of the personal friendship between the two leaders. Modi and Netanyahu spent three days together.
In these years, Israel has become not only one of India’s top defence and security partners but a top source for agriculture and water technology as well. In fact, it is the latter that Modi stressed in the past six years. Israel is assisting India with technological expertise in sectors that reach the average Indian farmer.
Bennett took oath on Sunday after the Knesset (parliament) elected him as the 13th PM of Israel. The new government — a coalition of ideologically divergent political parties drawn from the right, the left and the centre, along with an Arab party — has a razor-thin majority in the house.