New Delhi: There is a change of guard in Israel. A new regime under the leadership of Naftali Bennet has taken charge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated his new Isareli counterpart Naftali Bennet and expressed hope that both will be meeting soon and take necessary steps for “deepening the strategic partnership” between the two countries.
New Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid has thanked his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar for his good wishes.
“I look forward to working together to advance the strategic relations between our countries and hope to welcome you to Israel soon,” the Israeli Minister wrote in the microblogging site.
“Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the up-gradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries, Prime Minister Modi tweeted .
He also conveyed his thanks to the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he had developed a personal bond.
“As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership,” Mr Modi wrote in the microblogging site Twitter.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar also complimented his new counterpart in Israel, Yair Lapid.
“Congratulate APM & FM @yairlapid of Israel on his appointment. Look forward to working closely together to further advance our multifaceted strategic partnership,” Dr Jaishankar tweeted.
The Modi government has given a sincere boost to the Israel-India ties. The BJP leaders have always favored a stronger Indo-Israeli friendship. Modi’s first foreign minister Sushma Swaraj (now deceased) had even called herself an admirer of Israel. Way back in 2008 as a BJP leader, Sushma had called Israel “a reliable partner” for India.
Of course, lately during the peak of the Israeli-Palestine armed conflict, India had abstained from voting at the UN Human Rights Council.
The move was later defended strongly.
“….The position that we took (at UNHRC) not a new position. And we have abstained on previous occasions and I think that explains our position quite clearly,” MEA Arindam Bagchi told reporters at a virtual media conference.
Earlier in January this year, a low-intensity blast took place near the Israeli embassy on APJ Abdul Kalam Road in New Delhi on Friday. While three cars were damaged no one was injured, police have said.
New Israeli Prime Minister Bennett is himself aware of international polity and geo-strategic issues. He has worked for the outgoing PM Netanyahu as a senior aid between 2006 and 2008.
However, he quit Netanyahu’s Likud party later.
Bennett later aligned himself with the right-wing national-religious Jewish Home party, and entered Parliament as its representative in 2013.
