As Narendra Modi turned 70 on Thursday (September 17), wishes poured in for Prime Minister Modi from all corners of the world.
Narendra Modi was born on September 17 in 1950. On this very day and year, India had also formally recognised Israel post-independence. This date and year have a special significance in the post-Independence history of India.
India Israel ties
Both India and Israel are two democracies that share a history that is marred by British colonial rule, they were carved independent only a few months away from each other, and have hostile neighbours.
India's Israel policy was driven by the principled stand of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and India's international approach on issues as aligned with its domestic needs.
It was in 1992 when India finally established full diplomatic relations with Israel and since then the bilateral relationship between the two countries has blossomed at the economic, military, agricultural and political levels.
PM Modi, who described India's ties with Israel as special, has reportedly changed things around.
1999 KARGIL WAR
The 1999 Kargil war was a leap in terms of India-Israel military cooperation. Israel provided India with mortar ammunitions, surveillance drones and laser guided missiles along with intelligence inputs that helped in winding up the war with a befitting reply to Pakistan.
Following this, in 2000, India's then Home Minister LK Advani and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh paid a visit to Israel beginning the series of ministerial-level visits to Israel.
