‘Time to set new goals’: India and Israel mark 30 yrs of bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video message that relations between the two sides went back centuries and India’s Jewish community had lived in a harmonious environment without facing discrimination.

Published on: Jan 30, 2022, 01:27:46 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Israel is an occasion to frame new goals for mutual cooperation, while his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett said ties between the two sides will only grow stronger.

Modi, who took ties with Israel to a new level with the first prime ministerial visit to that country in 2017, said in a video message that relations between the two sides went back centuries and India’s Jewish community had lived in a harmonious environment without facing discrimination.

In a similar video message, Bennett said the two countries shared a “gehri dosti” or deep friendship and had forged a “wonderful partnership” over the past three decades. “The ties between Israel and India are strong, and together they will only grow stronger. The opportunities are endless,” he said.

“Today, when significant changes are occurring around the world, the importance of India-Israel relations has increased,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi.

“And what better occasion to set new goals for mutual cooperation – when India celebrates its 75th anniversary of independence this year, when Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary of independence next year, and when the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.”

Bennett said: “India – Israel and India have a gehri dosti, deep friendship. Today we honour 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India – 30 years of a wonderful partnership, a deep cultural connection, and military and economic cooperation.”

India recognised Israel on September 17, 1950, but full-fledged diplomatic relations were established on January 29, 1992. Since then, Israel has emerged as a strategic partner and key supplier of military hardware. Modi said the establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel had begun a new chapter. “The history of both our countries is very old. Our people have had close ties for centuries.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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