External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held delegation-level bilateral talks with Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen and inked an agreement in the area of mobility.

During the meeting both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen India-Israel relationship. The two foreign ministers held productive and wide-ranging discussions on the main pillars of India and Israel’s strategic partnership – agriculture, water, defence and security.
Meanwhile, Cohen said has decided to cut short his three-day visit to India in view of security matters in his country. He tweeted that he will return to Israel after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today.

Following their meeting, Jaishankar tweeted, “Productive and wide-ranging discussions with Foreign Minister @elicoh1 of Israel this afternoon. The main pillars of our Strategic Partnership – Agriculture, Water, Defence & Security – are taking our ties forward. New agreements in water & agriculture today underline the potential to do more.”

Jaishankar and his Israeli counterpart also discussed cooperation in high tech, digital and innovation, as also connectivity mobility tourism, finance and health. They also took cognizance of the progress in I2U2, and cooperation in multilateral forums.

I2U2 is a grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
The two leaders also held discourse on respective regions, Ukraine and Info-Pacific and also inked an agreement in the area of mobility.
Jaishankar tweeted, “Discussed cooperation in high tech, digital & innovation, as also connectivity, mobility tourism, finance, and health. Noted the progress in I2U2 and cooperation in multilateral forums. Exchanged perspectives on our respective regions, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific. Initialed an agreement in the area of mobility.”

Meanwhile, Cohen took to Twitter to post “Excellent meeting with the Foreign Minister of India – @DrSJaishankar We are strengthening ties with the most populous country in the world, and expanding cooperation in the fields of cyber, agriculture and water. Our cooperation will strengthen Israel’s position in the world and stability in the Middle East.”

Cohen arrived in India today for his first official visit which was expected to pan three days starting Tuesday, however, he decided to cut short his India visit due to a security update amid action by the Israel Army against members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Cohen is likely to return to Israel after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I landed a short time ago in New Delhi, the capital of India, and immediately upon landing I received a security update. In light of the events in Israel, I decided to cut short the diplomatic visit to India and return to Israel after my meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will take place today,” the Israeli Foreign Minister said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement were killed by the Israeli army in an early Tuesday morning bombing in which explosions ripped through Gaza under ‘Operation Shield and Arrow’, The Times of Israel reported.

The Israeli army began hitting targets in the Strip just after 2 am in what appeared to be a coordinated surprise attack on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement’s senior leaders.

Prior to the operation, Israeli residents of areas within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of Gaza were instructed to enter or stay near bomb shelters amid fears of retaliatory attacks, as raids continued to thunder across the Strip.

According to The Times of Israel, previous strikes on Islamic Jihad leaders sparked barrages of rockets on Israeli civilians and intense battles with Israeli troops, some lasting several days.

At least 12 people including the three senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement were killed in the latest air raids on Gaza Strip by Israel’s military on Tuesday.

His visit came after Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat travelled to India this year in April with a large business delegation on a four-day official visit aiming to strengthen bilateral ties in common areas of interest, automotive technologies, and fintech. (