Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
As high-level visits go, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel was bound to attract superlatives like ‘historic’ and ‘groundbreaking’. Still, it is clear that the buzz in the relationship is on account of Mr. Modi’s personal diplomatic style and his host’s equally warm response.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set the tone when he welcomed Mr. Modi at the airport together with the spiritual leaders of all the major faiths in the region, an honor traditionally reserved for the U.S. President and the Pope. Mr. Modi’s trademark bear hugs were reciprocated, three at the airport, and by the time the visit ended, the TV commentators had lost count!
Mr. Netanyahu gushingly described the relationship between the two countries as “a marriage made in heaven”, but behind the success was a receptive political backdrop as well as the careful planning undertaken by both sides.
Marking 25 years of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries added to the historic character of an Indian Prime Minister’s first visit to a country that had quietly emerged as a strong defense partner. There had been high-level exchanges but the Indian response was cautious. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres first visited India in 1993, and Jaswant Singh reciprocated in 2000; President Ezer Weizman came in 1997, while President Pranab Mukherji’s visit only took place in 2015. The first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India was Ariel Sharon in 2003, and from the time Mr. Modi came to power, a return visit was a certainty. The two leaders had met on the margins of the UN General Assembly and continued their relationship by tweeting their greetings on Hanukkah and Diwali.
Yet, official-level exchanges between the two countries have been intensive, beginning with the visit of Foreign Secretary J.N. Dixit in early 1993. While relations between Mossad and Research and Analysis Wing had existed earlier, the strategic partnership got cemented when National Security Adviser-level dialogue was established in 1999 between Brajesh Mishra and Gen. (retd.) David Ivry. Gen. Ivry was a former Air Force chief who had led the air raid on Osirak, the Iraqi nuclear reactor, in 1981. Incidentally, Israel was one of the few countries that showed a complete understanding of India’s decision to undertake the nuclear tests in 1998. This reinforced both the defense and the counter-terrorism cooperation relationship.
By 2000, India was acquiring surface-to-air missiles (Barak 1) and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) from Israel. Subsequently, the refurbishing of MiG-21 aircraft employed Israeli avionics. During the 1999 Kargil war, Israel assisted with laser-guidance kits mated with gravity bombs, carried by the Mirage 2000 aircraft. With U.S. concurrence, Israel sold India the Phalcon airborne early warning system and mounted on the Russian Il-76, provided AWACS capability. Subsequent acquisitions have included Spike anti-tank guided missiles and the long range surface-to-air missiles in both the naval and land versions. Today, Israel has emerged as the third-largest defense supplier for India and accounts for over 40% of Israel’s defense exports.
Commercial relations between the diamond traders in Gujarat and Israel had existed before 1992, but now annual trade grew from $200 million to nearly $5 billion with gems and jewelry accounting for nearly 40%. Gradually, Science and technology, agriculture, biotech, and space emerged as new areas of cooperation.Tourism provided an impetus to people-to-people relations. India emerged as the preferred destination for young Israelis wanting to unwind after their compulsory military service and Hebrew signage in Varanasi, Manali, and Goa is a common sight. Ambassador Pavan Kapoor was being quite mattered of fact when he described the Modi visit as a ‘coming out visit’ for the relationship.