Proud that BJP prioritised ties with Israel: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: BJP president Amit Shah today called Israel "a true friend of India" and said he was proud that his party had "prioritised" ties with the country.

Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "historic" visit there, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart were strong-willed leaders committed to eliminating terrorism.

Modi was rightly focusing on areas like agriculture, irrigation, water resources, disaster management and trade, he said on Twitter.

"PM @narendramodi's historic Israel visit is giving new strength to #IndiaIsraelFriendship. Both our nations will gain tremendously from it," Shah tweeted.

"As the BJP president I feel proud of the role played by the BJP in prioritising ties with Israel, a true friend of India," Shah said.

He noted that it was under the first NDA government, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, that an Israeli prime minister had first visited India.

Now Modi has undertaken this "historic visit" to Israel, he said, adding right from the special welcome by Netanyahu to all the programmes, the reception accorded to Modi would "always be remembered", he said.