E-Paper
Israeli PM defers India visit after testing Covid positive
Bennett will continue to work while self-isolating at home, his office has said. He was scheduled to be in India during April 3-5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit to India next month has been postponed after he tested positive for Covid-19.
Bennett’s office announced on Monday that he tested positive for Covid-19, days ahead of the scheduled visit to New Delhi to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties and to take forward the bilateral strategic alliance.
“The visit has been postponed and will be rescheduled,” Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon said on Tuesday.
“We are working with our Indian partners on another date for the visit as part of the celebrations of 30 years of diplomatic relations between the countries as well as 75 years of India’s independence,” he said. “Israel will continue to strengthen its robust friendship and growing partnership with the people of India.”
Israeli defence minister Benjamin Gantz, who was slated to visit India ahead of Bennett, too called off his trip on Tuesday. Gantz spoke to his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, who shared condolences on the loss of lives in terror attacks in Israel.
“Both the countries look forward to further strengthen the bilateral relations as India-Israel complete 30 years of full diplomatic relations. Defence cooperation is the founding pillar of our strategic partnership. Military and industry cooperation has been on an upward swing,” Singh tweeted.
Bennett will continue to work while self-isolating at home, his office has said. He was scheduled to be in India during April 3-5 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This would have been his first visit to India as prime minister. Modi and Bennett met on the margins of the COP26 in Glasgow last November and spoke on telephone in August 2021.
India and Israel elevated their relations to a strategic partnership during Modi’s visit to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister, in July 2017. The two countries have continued to deepen their strategic partnership, with the focus on innovation and research.
Israel is a leading supplier of advanced military hardware to India and strategic ties between the two sides have now expanded to trilateral cooperation with West Asian states that have signed the Abraham Accords, such as the United Arab Emirates.
