India and Israel relations: All you need to know about it

Breaking yet another stereotype, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to set to visit Israel. No dates have been finalised for PM Modi's visit which will take place on mutually convenient dates.

Below are the important facts about India-Israel

• India recognized Israel in 1950 but soon after voted against it in the UN
• Diplomatic ties between India and Israel were established by Narasimha Rao's government in 1991, though there had been some unofficial contacts earlier.

• Israel opened an embassy in New Delhi in February 1992 and in May in the same year India opened an embassy in Tel Aviv.
• Israeli President Ezer Weizman led a 24-member delegation of Israeli business people to India in December 1996.
• Jyoti Basu, the communist chief minister of West Bengal, broke ground when he visited Israel.

• Ariel Sharon was the first Israeli PM to visit India in 2003, but there have been no high-level visits from India since.
• A series of cooperative agreements in various fields including the environment, health, education and drug trafficking were signed during Sharon's visit.
• The November 2008 Mumbai attacks were tragedy for both nations. At least six people were killed after heavily armed militants stormed the Chabad house during the attacks on the city.
• As of July 2013, India-Israel trade had risen to approximately $6 billion a year, far surpassing the the modest $200 million level it was at in 1992.
• In May 2013, Israel announced that it will help India diversify and raise the yeild of its fruit and vegetable crops by offering the country advanced technology and know-how.
• India-Israel witnessed dramatic rise in cooperation since May 2014 when Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance came to power.
• Between Modi's election in May 2014 and November 2014, Israel exported $662 million worth of Israeli weapons and defense items to India. This export number is greater than the total Israeli exports to India during the previous three years combined.