Netanyahu cancels visit with India's Modi in preparation for Israel election

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday axed a scheduled visit to India just two weeks before the impending Israeli elections.

Netanyahu will vye to again secure the premiership on 17 September.

His visit to India was scheduled to take place just one week before the vote, but the prime minister's office on Tuesday said it had been cancelled and will be rescheduled to take place after the elections.

"The two agreed that due to scheduling constraints – the [Israeli] prime minister's visit will take place after the election," read the statement, according to Haaretz.

Israeli media has previously reported that Netanyahu wants to sell Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a number of advanced weapons, including spy planes, drones and anti-tank missiles.

The two right-wing leaders have become close allies since Modi came to power in 2014.

Since then India has undergone a huge military modernisation programme worth more than $100 billion - and Israel has been a key player.

The country is now Israel's biggest arms market, buying weapons at an average of $1 billion each year.

Beyond defence and military ties, Modi's far-right Hindu nationalist supporters find common cause in Israel's hostility to surrounding Muslim-majority states, as well as widespread anti-Muslim sentiment.

Netanyahu is also reportedly seeking a friendly diplomatic gesture from US President Donald Trump that would help him secure his place in power later this month.

The Israeli premier has also renewed his pledge from the country's April elections to annex illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank if elected.