Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday discussed recent developments in West Asia , which have witnessed an escalation in hostilities in recent weeks, and emphasised the need to urgently restore peace and stability in the region.
Modi’s social media post and an Indian government readout on the phone conversation made no reference to this issue. He expressed his appreciation for the courageous and long-standing relationship between us. Netanyahu’s invitation follows Israel President Isaac Herzog’s recent invite to Machchhar to visit the country to be given the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, the highest honour for bravery by civilians.
In his social media post, Modi said he received a call from Netanyahu and they “exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region”. They also reviewed the “sustained momentum in our bilateral ties and reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening” the bilateral special strategic partnership. Modi reiterated “India’s call for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward”, the Indian readout said. Netanyahu said in social media posts in Hindi and Hebrew that he invited Modi to “light a torch together with the heroic Indian pilot on the Independence Day of the State of Israel”. He added, “Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel fight terrorism together.
Netanyahu, who dialled the Indian PM, said on social media he had invited Modi to join Indian pilot Smit Machchhar — currently recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being injured while foiling an attempted hijacking last month — to light a torch on Israel ’s Independence Day in May next year.
