Israel and India continue to expand cooperation across key sectors: Israeli Ambassador
New Delhi, June 30
Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Tuesday urged the international community not to surrender to terrorism. He was speaking ahead of the 50th anniversary of 'Operation Entebbe', the Israeli counter-terrorist mission in Uganda.
"We see that there is a constant attempt to abuse international norms and to harm the innocent in order to achieve, in a deceitful and malign way, political goals... And, I think it's a goal, both of India, Israel and the rest of the international community, not to surrender to terrorism," Ambassador Azar told IANS in an interview.
"We've been, in the last few years, in one of our harshest and longest wars in our history. This started all with a terrorist attack, a barbaric attack on October 7 and we had to make sure that this cannot happen again. That's why we initiated the campaign that was pretty comprehensive," he added.
The Israeli Ambassador stressed that "Entebbe gave us the inspiration that we need to prove the world that terrorism can be defeated. I think that the lessons of Entebbe are being learned around the world up until today."
He noted that India and Israel continue to expand cooperation, having signed many agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country earlier this year. Now, he stated, the agreements are being implemented.
Azar mentioned that retired Major General Amir Baram, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defence, visited India last week and advanced "very important" programmes related to upgrading mutual defence capabilities.
"I'm confident that as we continue working together, the solutions and the added value of that will be serving both Indian people and Israelis," the Ambassador said.
Earlier, the Israeli Ambassador attended the '50 Years of the Entebbe Operation' event held at the United Service Institution of India in New Delhi
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I appreciate the counter-terrorism efforts, we must be careful about the civilian cost in Gaza. India's position has always been for dialogue and peace. I hope our partnership doesn't mean we ignore humanitarian concerns. The Ambassador's comments about 'comprehensive campaign' worry me a bit.
Israel has always stood with India in our times of need - from 1971 war to helping with agriculture in Rajasthan. Now we're returning the favour by deepening defence ties. This is a strategic partnership that benefits both nations. The Entebbe operation shows what determined nations can achieve against terrorism. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
I'm all for counter-terrorism cooperation but let's not glorify military operations too much. Entebbe was 50 years ago and the world has changed. Israel needs to work on a political solution with Palestinians. India should use its good offices to promote peace rather than just buying weapons.
As someone who follows geopolitics closely, I think this is a smart move. Israel has cutting-edge defence tech like Iron Dome and drone systems. India needs that for our own security challenges. But we must also push for a two-state solution - that's our traditional foreign policy stand. Balance is key! 👍
Love seeing our two ancient civilizations collaborate! But I hope Modi ji also raises the issue of Palestinian rights during these discussions. India has always supported their cause. We can be friends with Israel without ignoring the plight of Palestinians. That's what Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam truly means. 🙏
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.