Jaishankar to visit Israel to discuss bilateral and regional issues

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will arrive in Israel on Tuesday to meet the country’s top leadership and discuss bilateral and regional issues, according to sources. Jaishankar will meet President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hold bilateral consultations with his counterpart Gideon Sa’ar during his short visit, they said. “The discussions will revolve around bilateral and regional issues to continue to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries,” a source told. His visit comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the two leaders “agreed to meet very soon”.

Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had visited India earlier this year as the strategic partners build up momentum to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two countries signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) during Smotrich’s visit and then a Terms of Reference (TOR) leading to FTA during the visit of Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to Israel last month.