With Modi in charge, India forges deeper business and political ties with Israel

Tel Aviv

AT the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set aside time for a critical meeting. But it wasn't US President Barack Obama he was keen to see; it was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Since Mr Modi came to power in May, ties between Israel and India have been in overdrive, with the two signing a series of defence and technology deals that have underscored their burgeoning commercial and political relationship.

The same month as the UN meeting, Mr Modi's Cabinet cleared a long-delayed purchase of Israeli missiles for its navy. In October, India closed a US$520 million deal to buy Israeli anti-tank missiles. And last week, a jointly developed aerial defence system passed a major trial, which India called …