Modi to visit Palestine, meet Abbas during Middle East tour

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, greets his supporters as he is garlanded during an election campaign rally in Bangalore, India. Modi is set to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in an overture seen as India’s effort to balance its decades-old support for the occupied territories against its growing closeness to Israel. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Palestine during a brief tour of the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Monday, just weeks after hosting Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Modi will meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in an overture seen as India’s effort to balance its decades-old support for the occupied territories against its growing closeness to Israel.
The Indian premier will visit Ramallah first on his three-day tour of the region between February 9 and 12, which will also take in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign ministry official B. Bala Bhaskar said Modi’s visit to Palestine would be his first, though the Indian premier has met Abbas on three previous occasions.
The leaders are expected to discuss information technology, health and tourism during the brief visit, Bhaskar added. Modi will also address a joint press conference and attended a banquet.
New Delhi has long backed Palestine’s quest for nationhood and Modi has articulated support for an independent state existing peacefully alongside Israel.
Bhaskar said India’s refusal in December to support US moves to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was consistent with its unwavering support for Palestine.
Ahead of the first visit by an Israeli leader to India in 15 years, Netanyahu said he was “disappointed” by India’s decision.
But any tension appeared forgotten as the two leaders embraced in New Delhi last month and heralded a “new era” between Israel and India as deals were signed on cybersecurity and energy.
Modi became the first Indian leader in history to visit Israel in July 2017.
The Indian premier will depart for the UAE on Saturday, where he will address a summit in Dubai and meet business leaders before traveling to Oman for further engagements.
The Gulf is a critical region for New Delhi. India sources more than half its oil and energy supplies from the region, and around 9 million Indians live and work there, sending home billions of dollars in remittances annually.