PM Modi breaks protocol to welcome Israeli PM, renames Delhi’s Teen Murti Chowk after Israeli city

PM Modi announced renaming the iconic war memorial at a roundabout near Teen Murti Bhavan in Delhi was to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who fell in the battle of Haifa – now in Israel – during World War I.

The war memorial – originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade Memorial – was unveiled in March 1924 in honour of cavalry troopers of princely states in British India. The three stone and bronze statues represent the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who were part of the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade who fought for the liberation of Haifa from German and Ottoman (Turkish) soldiers on September 23, 1918.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara, who arrived here on a six-day trip, attended a solemn ceremony at the Teen Murti Memorial to mark the formal renaming of the roundabout near the Teen Murti Bhavan, which was the official residence of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the memorial was renamed "in memory of supreme sacrifice by Indian soldiers to liberate Haifa in 1918".

"The spot where we commemorate their sacrifice will now be called Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk," he wrote. "This year we mark 100 years of the end of the First World War. We remember with pride, the Indian soldiers who fought valiantly in the war."

The two leaders laid a wreath and signed the visitor's book at the memorial.

"One of these pages was written 100 years ago, in the sacrifice of Indian soldiers at Haifa. The sacrifice commemorated at Teen Murti observes its centenary. Naming this spot as Teen Murti-Haifa Chowk marks this historic occasion. In the presence of the Prime Minister of Israel, we pay homage to the brave soldiers," Modi wrote in the visitor's book.

Earlier, the Indian Prime Minister broke protocol to personally receive his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu with a hug as he arrived here to begin a six-day visit that will also take him to Mumbai and Gujarat.

The visit to India by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “historic and special”, PM Modi said, soon after receiving him at the airport.

As Netanyahu and his wife Sara stepped on the red carpet, a smiling Modi embraced the Israeli leader and then shook hands with the couple. "Very much appreciate the gesture," the Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as saying.

Before embarking on the flight, Netanyahu had said: “We are strengthening the relationship between Israel and this important world power. This helps us with security, the economy, trade, tourism and many other aspects.”

“It is a very great blessing to the state of Israel,” he added.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar underlined that Modi had departed from protocol to receive Netanyahu. "The visit is a fitting culmination to the silver jubilee year of the formal relationship (between India and Israel)."

This is the first visit to India by an Israeli Prime Minister since Ariel Sharon came in 2003. PM Modi “paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who fought at Haifa” in the presence of his counterpart from Israel.Netanyahu and Modi are expected to discuss a variety of subjects related to bilateral relations and the global situation.

The Israeli leader, accompanied by dozens of Israeli businessmen, will visit the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture at Vadrad in Gujarat and interact with business leaders in Mumbai. He will also go to the Taj Mahal city of Agra.