All section Close
India-Israel Ties Remain 'Shatterproof' Even After 30 Years
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Others/World, 30 Jan 2022 6:57 AM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
The two nations celebrated the anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations on a day the New York Times reported that the Government of India had bought the spyware called Pegasus from Israeli company NSO Group Technologies in July 2017 to carry out targeted surveillance on citizens.
India and Israel celebrated the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations on Saturday, January 29. For three decades, the Indo-Israeli partnership has evolved through its robust cooperation in various dimensions.
On January 29, 1992, both countries established a formal relationship, which has since expanded into several areas, from agriculture to security.
Several monuments in India and Israel were lit up on occasion. The buildings were illuminated with the official logo that was launched to commemorate the occasion.
Mumbai's Gateway of India was illuminated in shades of both nations' flags in India, and Israel also has a consulate in the city. In Israel, the iconic Masada fortress, which overlooks the dead sea, was lit up with flags of both nations.
In a special video message on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that there could not be a better time to set new goals to take forward relations between the two countries. He congratulated both nations and said he has full faith that the friendship between India and Israel will strengthen over the next few years.
On the other hand, his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett said that Israel and India have a "gehri dosti" (deep friendship) and thanked PM Modi for his "deep commitment" to the "strong and robust friendship" between the two countries.
Pegasus Row
PM Modi said the importance of India-Israel relations grew even further with the changing global scenario, even as the opposition parties sharpened attack on the government for allegedly buying the Pegasus spyware from the NSO Group Technologies based in the Jewish nation in West Asia.
The two nations celebrated the anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations on a day the New York Times reported that the Government of India had bought the spyware called Pegasus from Israeli company NSO Group Technologies in July 2017 to carry out targeted surveillance on citizens. The investigative report by the New York Times triggered a political storm in India, with the opposition parties accusing the Modi Government that it had misled Parliament and the Supreme Court by denying its purchase of the spyware, according to Deccan Herald.
Last year, the Modi Government had dismissed the allegation that it had used Pegasus for snooping on journalists, activists, and politicians.
India-Israel Ties
Since 1992, India and Israel have had an extensive economic, military, and strategic relationship.
India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment, and the latter is the second-largest supplier of military equipment to India after Russia. From 1999 to 2009, military business between the two countries was worth around 9 billion US dollars. According to Wikipedia, military and strategic ties between the two nations extend to intelligence-sharing on terrorist groups and joint military training.
As of 2014, India is the third-largest Asian trade partner of Israel, and its tenth-largest trade partner overall; bilateral trade, excluding military sales, stood at 4.52 billion dollars. During Narendra Modi's administration, relations further expanded, with India abstaining from voting against Israel in several United Nations resolutions.
As of 2015, the two countries are negotiating a comprehensive bilateral free-trade agreement, focusing on information technology, biotechnology and agriculture.
According to an international poll conducted in 2009, 58 per cent of Indians expressed sympathy with Israel regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, compared to 56 per cent of Americans.
India-Israel relationship has been very close and warm under the premiership of PM Modi since 2014. In July 2017, PM Modi became the first-ever Prime Minister of India to visit Israel. In January, to commemorate 25 years of Indian-Israeli relations, a highly televised visit of the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to India took place, during which both Netanyahu and Modi exchanged mutual applauses. This visit was the first since the 2003 visit of Ariel Sharon to India.
The celebrations to commemorate 30 years of diplomatic ties between India and Israel are likely to continue through the year.
Also Read: India Bought Pegasus Spyware From Israel As Part Of Defence Deal In 2017: NYT Report
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
