Israel, India sign 9 deals as Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi hold talks

New Delhi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday centred on cooperation in several fields including the critical defence sector with inside sources indicating that the $500 million Spike anti-missile deal junked by India may still be alive. However, while talks included anti-terror efforts, cyber security, agriculture and trade, Israel is understood to have strongly raised the recent decision by Delhi to vote in favour of a UN resolution opposing the decision of the US to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, although both sides concluded that the "relationship was much larger than any single issue", 

The biggest takeaway could now be that India and Israel will begin work on a free trade pact that Israel has been pushing for. Also, in the first such move, Israel has given initial approval for Indian energy companies to explore oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, officials said. 

India and Israel have built close ties over the years, largely centered on arms purchases, away from the public eye. But PM Modi, who has long admired Israel for its tough approach to terrorism, "invited Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalised FDI regime to make more in India with our companies", clearly indicating that India was interested in not just buying Israeli weapons off the shelf but also to acquire these technologies so that Indian companies can also co-manufacture it. “We have had diplomatic relations for 25 years, but something different is happening now," Netanyahu said soon after the two sides signed nine agreements covering cooperation in cyber security, space and oil and gas exploration.

Netanyahu, who said he saw a "kindred spirit" in Modi in terms of getting things done, pushed for a free trade pact with Asia's third largest economy during the talks on Monday.