Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to touch Israel on Tuesday, July 4, for a three-day tour. This is the first time that an Indian prime minister will visit the Jewish state, something which has made it all the more special.
Now, an interesting trivia about Modi's visit is that he would be accommodated in the same luxury suite at King David Hotel in Jerusalem where US President Donald Trump had stayed during his visit in May, the Jerusalem Post has reported.
However, while the entire hotel was vacated during Trump's visit to Israel, in case of PM Modi, only the upper floors and the parking lot have been vacated, the report said.
Modi's arrival will, however, make it up with more pomp, the report said. A red carpet will be laid out and none other than Michael Federmann, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the group that owns and operates the hotel will greet Modi on arrival. Federmann is also the chairman of Elbit Systems, a defence electronics firm which has quite a few deals with India.
The hotel was overbooked ahead of Modi's visit, the Jerusalem Post report said, since a number of people were arriving to the holy city for the Maccabiah Games or the Jewish Olympics scheduled in July. The current edition is the largest of all held till date, the report added.
To cater to the PM and many of his delegates who are vegan, the hotel authorities brought significant changes to the lunch meeting between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. It was reported that fish will be served but no meat or poultry. Reena Pushkarna, an Israeli-Indian restaurateur and television personality, along with her team of chefs have been roped in and given a kitchen of their own for the high-profile visit.
The director of operations at the hotel Sheldon Ritz oversaw the preparations for Modi's visit and said he could not remember if any visit was as intensive as that of Modi, the Jerusalem Post added.
