Tag: India

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Six winning Israeli startups will take part in the “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation”

Six winning Israeli startups will take part in the “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program and will soon launch pilot programs in India. The program was initiated in meetings between the prime ministers of India and Israel.

Tel Aviv, June 27th, 2018 – Six Israeli startups with innovative technologies in the fields of healthcare, agriculture and water management have made it to the final stage of the Israel Innovation Authority’s “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program, launched over the past year during bilateral meetings between the prime ministers of both countries. The 18 companies that were initially selected to participate in this program presented their technologies to CEOs and investors from Israel and India in a Demo Day held last week at the Urban Place complex in Tel Aviv. Six companies were chosen to continue to the final stage where they will pilot their solutions in India.

Among the notable participants taking part at the Demo Day were representatives of India’s Invest India agency. The keynote speaker was Rohtash Mal, Chairman of EM3 Agriservices, renowned in India as the “Uber of farmers.” The company rents out equipment to farmers based on time or acres farmed, doing away with the need for farmers to purchase expensive equipment and giving them access to advanced technology at low costs.

The six winning companies selected to continue to the pilot stage of the program are:

In Agriculture:

Amaizz, a company that has developed a portable drying device enabling dry storage of agricultural produce – of immense significance in the Indian market, where it is difficult to ship fresh produce.

Biofeed, a company that has developed a device to combat fruit flies, a pest destructive to the India’s yield of mango and other fruit. India is one of the world’s key mango exporters.

In Healthcare:

Zebra Medical, a company developing medical imaging technologies.

MobileODT, a company that has developed devices to diagnose cervical cancer.

In Water Management:

Aquallence, a company that has developed a device to treat water with Ozone.

AMS Technologies, a company that has developed a system to filter industrial water.

The 18 companies initially selected were reviewed by a panel of judges from Israel and India who looked at over 150 applications. The companies took part in a six-month process that included training and workshops, including information regarding Indian markets, together with professional visits, networking events, mentoring and meetings with senior executives and officials, including investors, senior management and experts and entrepreneurs in the fields of water management, agriculture and healthcare.

The Demo Day judges included members of Indian and Israeli companies, including entrepreneur Ofir Shalvi; Adi Vagman, Managing Partner of the AgriNation venture capital fund; Sigalit Berenson, Sales and Service Manager of the Indian-owned Decco SafePack company; Deeksha Vats, Joint President of Sustainability at the Indian corporation, Aditya Birla Group; Rajit Mehta, CEO of the Max Healthcare Institute; and Avi Luvton, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific and Latin America desk at the Israel Innovation Authority.

Eli Cohen, Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, said: “Following the government decision a year ago to invest 240 million shekels by the year 2020 to promote relations with India in the fields of innovation and technology, the “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program is a golden opportunity for Israeli companies in the fields of healthcare, water management and agritech to achieve prominence and to enter such a significant and developing global market – India.”

Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, said: “The Israel-India Bridge to Innovation is a springboard for cooperation between Israeli innovators and Indian corporations. The collaboration between India, a massive economy with the largest growth rate in the world, and Israel, the “Startup Nation,” to develop technological solutions to various challenges, is synergistic and unique. There is a real mutual desire, backed by substantial investment, to pilot these cooperative ventures in India in order to solve pressing global challenges specifically in India but all over the world as well.”

Avi Luvton, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Desk at the Israel Innovation Authority, emphasized that the “Bridge to Innovation” program comes at a peak in Israeli-Indian relations that began more than a year ago and which has been strengthened by bilateral visits by both prime ministers, reflecting an era in which many new opportunities are opening up within the Indian economy.

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Bibi Netanyahu: “We Believe in this Alliance Between Israel and India.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 28 June 2018), at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, met with the Chief Minister of the Indian State of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, and welcomed him to Israel, his first visit outside India since taking up office. The Prime Minister conveyed greetings to his friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The two discussed the continued strengthening of relations between the two countries. Gujarat Chief Minister Rupani expressed great interest in Israeli water, agriculture and cyber technologies.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “We believe in this alliance between Israel and India, and it was tremendously enhanced by Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel. I was pleased to be in Gujarat, and now I’m pleased that Gujarat is in Israel.”

 

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India to Order Israeli “Spike” anti-tank missiles

Reports are surfacing that the plan for India to buy anti-Tank “Spike” missiles from Israel is back on. This is despite an earlier decision to terminate the deal in the hopes the Indian Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would develop a home-grown version.

Both the India Times and Bloomberg News are reporting unnamed sources that the purchase proposal is now at a very advanced stage, but is awaiting Indian government approval.  No other details were given.

Given the urgent needs of the Indian Defense Establishment, the “Spike” Missiles are needed as a stop-gap purchase due to the home-grown version being at least three years away. The initial deal which was terminated in January assumed the DRDO would be able to develop their own version within the year.  The DRDO later backtracked opening the door for Raphael and Israel to resume the sale of “Spike” missiles.

 

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ISRAEL-INDIA ALLIANCE: Israeli Defense Contracts to India Continue to Soar

Despite India’s publicly cool reception over Washington’s embassy move to Jerusalem, the Modi government continues to build on its alliance with Israel by becoming the top Israeli arms and defense importer for 2017.

In general, there has been a very large increase of Israeli defense contracts to the Asia-Pacific region.  The Asia-Pacific region holds 58 percent of Israeli defense deals making it by far the largest region for Israeli defense contracts.  Israel’s top three customers, all from the region, include India, Vietnam, and Azerbaijan.

India leads with US$715 million worth of purchase, then Vietnam at US$142 million and Azerbaijan at US$137 million follows next.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s military exports rose by 41 percent in 2017, the third consecutive year of increased defense exports, which brought in nearly US$9.2 billion in contracts.



Last month, India ended its ban it had placed on Aerospace Industries and the Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd both of Israel, which remained blacklisted since 2006 due to allegations of bribery.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a lawsuit demanding the closure of the criminal investigation against the two companies, which led to US$2 billion deal between India and Israel’s Aerospace Industries. The lawsuit closure led to an agreement between the two nations under which the Israeli company would supply India with Barak 8 surface-to-air missiles.

India’s Concern About China and Pakistan Has Strengthened the Military Cooperation With Israel

Most India-Israel observers have always noted the warm cultural relations between the two ancient countries.  Yet, in today’s geopolitical upheavels along with Chinese economic expansion westward by way of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Chinese military alliance with Pakistan, India’s military cooperation with Israel has taken a front seat to the growing trade and cultural ties.

With Pakistan arming itself with Chinese weapons and excacerbating tensions in Kashmir, India and Israel have now grown even closer.

While India may have skipped the US embassy dedication, it barely uttered a peep over Israel’s border defense against Hamas terrorists who posed as civilians.  Perhaps this is because, India too has begn to face a militant Pakistan prepared to utilize similar tactics against the only Hindu majority country in the world.




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[Premium] Trump’s Tariff’s Will Force Israel to Choose Between India and China

With all the flack President Trump has received on his steel tariff’s from the MSM, most observers are missing the point of the decision. Trump understands that China and the USA are already engaged in economic warfare, with China winning.  The tariffs are designed to balance out China’s trade policy.

More important than the effects of the tariffs, the signal from the Trump administration is that China is essentially American enemy number one.  This has a tremendous effect across the world.  With alliances consolidating from the east to west, Trump is trying to nudge allies to make a decision.

Israel is not immune to this challenge.  Since the early 2000’s it has courted both India and China with tremendous success.  Of course India is seen as more important and has been raised to the level of a strategic ally, which places Israel in the middle of the Indo-Chinese rivalry.

Up until now, Israel has been able to stay neutral on issues of dispute between China and India, yet with the USA making China into enemy number one, Israel appears to be heading towards a crossroads.  Of course, the decision in many ways was helped along by China’s actions towards India and its support of Pakistan which is an enemy of India and adversary of Israel.  China’s disregard of civil rights, persecution of opposition dissent, and the now appointement of President Xi for life make Israel’s decision that much easier.

What About the Chinese Investment Potential

While its true Israel will have to do away with Chinese money, the investments China has made seem to be part of a larger strategy of control.  One just needs to ask Zambia on how their ability to have self determination has gone since the Chinese have taken over the copper and coal industry there.

Zambia Reports published the following a few days ago: “The Zambia Association of Timber and Forestry Based Industry has alleged that about 5,000 mukula laden containers from Zambia have been exported to China following the ban on the exportation of timber species in 2017.”

According to the report the government appears to be working with China to help illegally export the mukula.  Of course China loves to insist that it is positively investing in Zambia.

Israel has deftly avoided going down the same route as Zambia and although the lure of Chinese investments can be great, Jerusalem realized early on that dealing with China is like a drug that feels great in the beginning but can be deadly down the line.

Trump’s tariff decision has now begun to force the concretization of new alignments that have already been underway.  As the trade wars and potential direct conflicts between China and the USA heat up, look for even more increased partnerships between Israel and India and a dampening of Israel-Chinese relations.

 

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ISRAEL MUST CHOOSE: China’s Planned Base in Pakistan Becomes a Serious Challenge to India

The Daily Caller has reported on a planned Chinese base for Pakistan on the Arabian sea.  This development comes along with the growing cooperation between the two countries via the Chinese-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Daily Caller reported the following:

“In the last few months, there have been persistent reports of Chinese survey teams in the areas west of Gwadar, a seaport considered critical to the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the linchpin to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an effort to achieve Chinese commercial dominance in South Asia and as a connection to its strategic interests in the Middle East and Africa.

In the last two weeks, meetings held between high-ranking Chinese and Pakistani military officers indicate that a new Chinese military facility will be built on the Jiwani peninsula between Gwadar and the Iranian border. The plan is said to include a naval base and an expansion of the already-existing airport on the peninsula, both requiring the establishment of a security zone and the forced relocation of long-time Balochi residents.”

Image Source: Wiki

The prospective Chinese military base in Gwadar would effectively give the Chinese direct access to the Middle East, but also strengthen Pakistan, a mutual rival to India. This development places Israel into a very uncomfortable position far more so than the Doklam dispute between China and India several months ago.

With Israel and India developing a long-term strategic partnership, Netanyahu’s government must decide how to navigate its relationship with China, which has been growing in terms of economic partnerships and Chinese investment into Israel’s infrastructure (i.e. the Ashdod port).

Small border disputes between India and China are one thing, but Chinese encirclement of India, while bolstering avowed enemies of the Jewish state is a completely different level.

In the coming months Israel must figure out how it relates to an expanding China that threatens to upend global norms and place Israel at risk.

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Time to Put an End to Pakistan’s Aggression

There Hasn’t been a single day since our Independence and Pakistan’s creation that Pakistan has not tried to hurt us in any manner deemed fit by the Demonic, Barbaric, Demented and a highly Delusional and embarrassingly for them a failed, Non-State of Pakistan. The motive of creating a Pakistan on both the eastern and the western boundary by slicing a Unified Bharat was only to keep us in check.

What Pakistan is doing right now or has been doing since its inception is exactly the reason for its creation. We cannot expect it to behave any differently from what it is engineered to do.

Pakistan comprises of only Punjabi Sunni Muslims rest are all their Lab Monkeys aka Non-State actors that they use, which Pakistan has itself admitted from time to time. There are no humans left there. What we have are people with misplaced priorities who want to wage a 1000 Years war with us, eating grass. These Lab Monkeys are nothing but only negotiating tools often used to fill Pakistan’s begging bowl without which their Economy (Pakistan Army’s Economy) if there is any would crash giving them an opportunity to try their grass eating fetishes.




This Non-State is a Hub of Global Jehad wherein the Pakistani Army and the ISI promote/fund/arm and harbor terrorism and the Government carries the sorry stories of victimization so that they could score some emotional Benjamins. One may find it a bit funny but the World Countries are Paying off their own assassin’s. So the next time you lose a dear one be it in the US, France, UK or any part of this planet and of course in India we must then ask the questions first to our respective Governments.

Why do they continue to get funded, armed and protected ? Why have we given them an MFN (Most Favored Nations) status ?? Just when exactly do we snap and talk to Pakistan via our Barrell’s?

United Nations is a farce that works in the interest of only a few big players and hence it is not at all to be trusted. They are agenda driven and put their mouths where the dollars are. UN is more concerned about Rakhine and chooses to zip its lips to the most inhuman and bone chilling Genocide happening in Balochistan under illegal, tyrannical and gruesome occupation by Pakistan. Who is going to wipe those tears off ?? Who is going to give those kids freedom who have seen their fathers thrown down from Choppers by the Pakistani Army??

The Pakistani Army conducts Raids in the guise of finding extremists and is exterminating the Balochis, paving the way for China that makes its own Islamic Maulvis do Disco Dance. What kind of Islamic Republic is Pakistan??In its own backyard it continues to Bomb the Shia Mosques, Rape and forcefully converts Christians, Hindus are made to live like slaves. This failed state has crossed all limits of Tolerance of not just India but also the Global Community and hence must be brought down with Brutal Force showing no mercy at all. If grass is what they wish to eat then we must ensure that not even a strand of grass grows there for another 1000 years.

Everytime Pakistan is cornered , they come up with heart wrenching stories which are nothing but a concoction of ISI which they script and produce to show the world that there are moderate Pakistani’s still alive in Pakistan. However it is only a Lights, Camera – ISI moment to fool the world. The Pakistani establishment cannot project a few good people and hold world peace as a hostage to their devious designs.They continue to violate ceasefire, send in their trained and armed militants a.k.a non state actors to murder our citizens and armed forces alike. Bomb houses in our border villages.

Pakistan is also involved in war crimes and carrying subversive activities in our country. It continues to jail our Indian Businessman Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav that they abducted from Iran and framed him as a spy. Prominent Balochistani leaders have publicly called Pakistans bluff when they revealed the truth that Mr. Kulbhushan Jadhav has nothing to do with Balochistan.

There are 100s and 1000s of reasons on why we should Annihilate Pakistan but not even one to make me think otherwise. Pakistan with its history of proliferation especially its Underground Nuclear dealings has armed North Korea with a weapon that now threatens to wipe of the United States. Nobody else to blame for except for us and the global communities for letting this monster feed on our compassion only to backstab bad again and again. There is a lot of talk of Exposing Pakistan in the mainstream media.

However, Pakistan has never hidden its terror ambition. It calls dreaded terrorist Burhan Wani a freedom fighter. I do not understand how can anyone expose Pakistan who runs amock naked in its run up to be the hub of a global nuclear catastrophe. These are dangerous times not just for India but also for the entire world. As a country we have had enough of this terror heaven and we must not waste any more time in turning it into a Hell hole for these deranged lunatics.

I often say that this is one war that we will have to fight. If not today then maybe tomorrow or most certainly in the near future. In my opinion the best time in Geopolitics is Right Now.

Originally Published on Wise Indian Tongue.

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PACKERS CORNER: Israel Remains Stable Despite the Chaos in the Region

I’m not going to say that things got done in Israel this week, precisely because Prime Minister Netanyahu was in India most of the time. But…..

Two nights ago in Jenin (northern Samaria/West Bank), Israeli  security services finally caught up with some of the terrorist murderers of Rabbi Raziel Shevach of Havat Gilad. Some of the terrorists were killed and some captured, many details still remain unclear at this point. It would seem that at least one has escaped for now. Two Israeli security personnel were wounded in the operation and are recovering from their injuries. There is nothing unique about Israel tracking down terrorists. Israel is famous for this and that’s a very good thing.

Since the tragic murder of Rabbi Shevach, there has been alot of political discussion/statements/pandering(?) about legalizing his currently unauthorized community, Havat Gilad. A request towards this has been sent to the Israeli cabinet by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. This is very important and the chances of it happening will probably become more clear towards the beginning of next week. What’s even more important is some info that leaked out this week in connection to this. It was revealed, seemingly very credibly, that the Defense Ministry is actively working towards the authorization of upwards of 70 currently unauthorized Israeli communities in Judea and Samara (west bank).

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The “outposts” – as the unauthorized communities are called – issue has somewhat overshadowed some final authorization for building permits that were granted in Judea and Samaria last week. While its much slower development than potentially possible, I want to highlight 2 of the projects approved – those in a community named Alon and another in a community called Karmei Tzur. Both of these communities are very strategic as they sit on the edges of “consensus” areas – Karmei Tzur on the edge of Gush Etzion and Alon on the edge of the Maale Adumim area. AND BOTH ARE BEING DOUBLED IN SIZE! No way around it, that’s’ big. Of course the houses have not been built yet and anything can happen…..

Netanyahu’s visit to India seems to have gone quite well. Remains to be seen if India brings back the $500 million deal for weapons from Israel that was recently cancelled.

The police have begun to recommend some indictments in some of the various investigations into Netanyahu and his associates. No meaning to any of this yet, but the show goes on….

The Government coalition continues to be incredibly stable – the region, not so much. Drama everywhere.

President Trump has significantly cut funding to UNRWA – a UN front for supporting terrorism and the destruction of Israel. Also,there are reports/rumors that the US Embassy will move to Jerusalem within a year. Trump continues to cement his already unprecedented pro-Israel legacy. And Vice-President Pence arrives to Israel on Sunday, with a scheduled visit to the Western Wall and a speech to the Knesset.

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PM Netanyahu Attends Business Forum in India

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Thursday, 18 January 2018), at a power breakfast, met with senior Indian businesspeople. He called on them to invest in Israel in a variety of fields and invited them to join the long list of major international companies that have already invested in Israel and opened research and development centers there. The Prime Minister said that he was certain that in Israel they could find advanced technological solutions in a variety of fields.

Prime Minister Netanyahu then participated in a forum with the Israeli business delegation and Indian businesspeople. The Israeli business delegation is the largest delegation that has ever accompanied a prime minister on an official visit. Given that Mumbai is the seat of many of India’s most successful major companies, the goal of the Israeli business delegation is to deepen economic ties and create joint business opportunities between Israeli and Indian businesspeople.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Gangadharro Fadnavis also attended the event.

Following is an excerpt from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks:

“In this room there’s some of the most talented and successful CEOs from India and Israel and you got here because you’re great competitors. My message to you is: Never stop competing because competition benefits us all.

It’s what allows the development of the most cutting edge technology at the lowest price.

And I also want to warn you – don’t rest on your laurels. Competition never ends. It never ends. Now I know that you think, well, you know if you establish enough market share you can rest, It will be over. It’s never over. Even the giants now in the information world that are capturing the world, if they think it’s over- they’re over. Because you’ll have destructive technology, you’ll have something new coming in and taking even the giants down.

You can never stop competing. So we have to organize our national economies in a way that makes it profitable, makes it possible and makes it easy to compete and innovate.

We have to continue this process within our own countries but we have to bring the talents of Indians and Israelis together. One of the things that we’re trying to do is facilitate a simple thing – an efficient direct flight route between Israel and India of the kind that we have between Israel and Silicon Valley, the kind we now have between Israel and China, at China’s initiative. Because the ability to have these contacts is enormously important for you to build value and create innovation without our interference and with our support. This is what we’re committed to.         

I want you to know that you will be received in Israel with unbelievable warmth. I would say with tremendous affection and love. There is a deep and abiding respect for India, for the people of India, for the culture of India. We’re two of the oldest cultures on earth. We are democracies. We share our love for freedom and we share our love for humanity.

We are truly your partners. This is a partnership made in heaven. Let us now consecrate it on earth. Come to Israel, invest in Israel and Israel will come here as well.

Thank you. Thank you all. Much success to our great partnership.”

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NETANYAHU IN INDIA: “Israelis and Indians are bound by the kinship of free peoples.”

India and Israel continue to draw closer as Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu made a powerful speech at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi.  Both India and Israel share a common threat with Islamic terrorism.  Yet, relations between Israel and India go back centuries as Jews enjoyed of freedom of religion for over two thousand years in the ancient Hindu country.

In modern times the two countries have had a rocky history, but a grass roots relationship has built over the last 2 decades which has finally expanded into the governments of both peoples.

Below is the Prime Minister’s speech in full as provided to us by the Government Press Office:

“Thank you my friend, Prime Minister Modi, Narendra. Thank you for your exceptional friendship and hospitality that you showed me, my wife, and our delegation. I was deeply moved today in the celebration at the ceremony. It was an expression not only of the honor you showed me but the honor you showed the people of Israel and the State of Israel. You are a revolutionary leader in the best sense of the word ‘revolution’. You are revolutionizing India. You are catapulting this magnificent state into the future and you have revolutionized the relationship between Israel and India.

I’m the son of a historian. Our peoples have had thousands of years of history. India and Israel are two of the most ancient civilizations on earth and yet it is an amazing fact that until you visited Israel no leader of India in 3,000 years of our own sovereign existence and our history has visited Israel. You are the first leader of a state, of an Indian state to do this. So it was a groundbreaking visit. It excited the imaginations of all Israelis and of course of the many Israelis of Indian descent, of origin, who came and were…how shall I say this…well I thought I was in a rock concert but it was a historic event as well.

We are ushering today a new era in our relations. We’ve had diplomatic relations for 25 years but something different is happening now because of your leadership and because of our partnership. There are three things that bind our countries together: The first is that we have an ancient past. The second is that we have a vibrant present. And the third is that we are seizing together a promising future. We are proud of our past, our rich histories, our peoples’ contributions to human civilization in language, in literature, in mathematics and medicine, in philosophy and faith. The greatest texts that human beings produced are in Sanskrit and in Hebrew. None greater and none more enduring and we never forget this.




More recently, you mentioned, just a century ago, brave Indian soldiers played a vital role in the liberation of the State of Israel and the land of Israel. This led to our Independence. And yesterday I was again deeply moved as we paid tribute to these brave Indian fighters and commanders who gave their lives in that historic fight. We honor their memory as you mark today Indian Army Day. We are proud of our present, of our resilient democracies. Our people are free to say what they want, do what they want, believe what they want and these values and our diversity are not a source of our weakness but the source of our strength. Evidence of this abounds in India where you hear a symphony of dozens of languages and dialects and where Jews, and you mentioned this yesterday Prime Minister, you mentioned the fact that makes India stand out in the community of nations because over 2,000 years the Jews of India have never experienced anti-Semitism as our people experienced in so many other lands. This is a tribute to your civilization, to your tolerance, to your humanity.

Israelis and Indians are bound by the kinship of free peoples but I believe that democracy cannot be taken for granted. Despite the doubts, despite the challenges, India and Israel are living proof not only that democracy works but they demonstrate something deeper – the intrinsic value of freedom which I believe is the intrinsic value of life. Citizens thrive ultimately it is the free citizens who thrive because they are free and when they are free.

Finally, we are proud that we are seizing the future so we can make a better life for our peoples and for others around the world. Our commitment to do so is reflected in the manifold agreements that we sign today in cyber, in aviation, in energy, even in cinema. My wife and I are very happy that we are going to Bollywood, we’d like to see it firsthand, and so many other areas.

Israel is a fountainhead of innovation. It’s a global force of technology. India abounds with creativity, with ingenuity, with scientists, with mathematicians and I think that when we join our respective talents together we can achieve tremendous things for our people. We can actually achieve…you say we want more…Prime Minister Modi and I are the same. We want more for our people, we want it now, we want it yesterday. But one of the things that Israel brings to this world of innovation is that we achieve more with less. More crops with less water, more energy with less expenditure of money. More with less. We want more, a lot more and we can do that even more productively by cooperating.

When you and I walked shoeless along the Mediterranean shore, we drank sea water that was purified before our eyes using technology that will save untold lives. India and Israel are working together to provide clean water, to increase crop yields, to keep our people safe from terrorism and other challenges to the future we both seek.

You mentioned the areas: Agriculture where I presented to Prime Minister Modi an idea of revolutionizing Indian agriculture as we’re revolutionizing Israeli agriculture – precision agriculture that goes down to the individual plant. Some plants need more water, some less. We can see it today with big data, with drones, with other instruments of technology to make farmers produce much more crops. More crops with less. We’re talking about cooperation in science and technology in every field and we’re talking about cooperation in defense so that our people are always safe and always secure.

Indians and Israelis know too well the pain of terrorist attacks. We remember the horrific savagery in Mumbai. We grit our teeth, we fight back, we never give in.

My friend last night you again showed us your tremendous hospitality and when you hosted Sara and me at your home so graciously it was brilliantly lit, illuminated by the national colors of India and Israel and I thought at that moment about your honesty, your passion, you vision, your commitment and it fills me with hope, hope that this new era of India-Israel relations will bring unprecedented benefits to India, to Israel, to all humanity.

And finally and this is perhaps the most important statement that I can make here – my friend Narendra, any time you want to do a yoga class with me it’s a big stretch but I’ll be there. Trust me.

Thank you very very much. Thank you my friend.”