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‘Modi did not rush to apologise’: Israel newspaper on what Netanyahu can learn from Indian PM
In an op-ed, Israeli defence expert Shalom highlighted what Israel can learn from India, while connecting it to the latter's ties with the United States.
Israel should learn how to “defend its national honour” from India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in the face of “verbal assaults from Trump” did not rush to apologize and upheld national honor, Israeli defence policy expert Zaki Shalom has said.
In an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post, Shalom highlighted what Israel can learn from India, while connecting it to the latter's ties with the United States and how New Delhi chose to respond amid strained ties with Washington.
The US under the Donald Trump-led administration, has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, which include 25 per cent additional duties on account of the purchase of Russian oil.
Shalom, a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, also underscored Trump's claims on mediation between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. “He allegedly applied heavy pressure, threatened sanctions on both sides, and led to a ceasefire,” Shalom wrote, adding that while Pakistan praised Trump's intervention and nominated him for the Nobel Prize, India “downplayed” Washington's role.
‘Modi’s severe response stemmed from national honour'
Shalom stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “severe response was not only rooted in economic and military tension", but came from “personal or national honour” being offended.
“He (PM Modi) declined four phone calls from President Trump,” Shalom wrote, adding that Israel can learn an important lesson in this regard.
Shalom recounted an incident in Khan Younis from last month, wherein an Israeli shell hit the Nasser Hospital, killing around twenty people, including journalists. He said that hours after the incident, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, chief of staff, and PM Netanyahu had responded to the shelling. The IDF spokesman issued an apology for the harm to innocent civilians.
Shalom wrote that the statements made by the IDF spokesperson, chief of staff, and PM Netanyahu, conveyed a “a notable degree of anxiety – and perhaps even panic – about the incident’s consequences.”
The defence expert, circling back to India's example, stated that in the face of “verbal assaults from Trump”, Modi had not “rushed to apologise”. “…Instead, he chose to respond forcefully, upholding national honor,” the op-ed said.
Shalom highlighted that while the response came across as “harsh”, it clarified that India would not accept being treated as an “inferior state”. “The conclusion is that a country must defend its national honor even when facing difficult and complex situations,” the op-ed said.
