Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a helicopter from Amman in Jordan to reach Ramallah in Palestine. The helicopter provided by Jordanian government was escorted by Israel Air Force. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine.
Modi had arrived in Jordan yesterday on the first leg of his 4-nation visit.
He will later meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss bilateral issues. Abbas will also host a working lunch for the Prime Minister after which agreements and MoUs will be signed and exchanged between the two sides.
He will then depart for Amman from where he will head to United Arab Emirates.
Modi's visit to Ramallah comes amid heightened tensions in the region after US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The unilateral US decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was challenged at the UN General Assembly where 128 nations, including India, voted to turn down the move as "null and void".
Though India has shied away from becoming a party in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that he will discuss with Modi New Delhi's role in the Middle East peace process and the creation of a multilateral forum of negotiations to strike a final deal with Israel.
