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TEL AVIV, Aug. 16 (PTI) Senior Israeli leaders from various political circles congratulated India on the 75th anniversary of its independence, highlighting its growing influence as a regional and global power and an innovation superpower that helps change the world for the better .
Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended an event on Monday night to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence and the 30th anniversary of India-Israel full diplomatic relations, attended by hundreds of Indians and local Indian enthusiasts.
“India’s influence as a regional and global power is steadily rising, and I believe the higher your involvement, the greater the positive change,” Herzog said.
“Israel shares a wonderful celebration of Indian national pride. We send our warmest wishes for peace and prosperity and we look forward to working side by side with you in the promise of a brighter future. Mazal tov!”. (should find out what this expression means)
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The Israeli president highlighted the “clear parallels” in India’s historical victories and Israel’s national story.
He said both ancient nations had centuries of teachings and heritage, intertwined throughout their history, and achieved independence in the same year.
“We will be celebrating our 75th anniversary in a few months. Today, just a few decades later, we find our two modern republics proudly inspiring through creativity and democracy, ingenuity and a commitment to timeless beliefs and belief systems Together with deep respect and pride, these beliefs and belief systems transcend time,” he noted.
“Both Israel and India aim for equality and prosperity, and we both face internal and external challenges; we are both open to expanding our partnership,” Herzog added.
“By joining forces and working together to maximize our strengths, whether in science or agriculture, high technology or green technology, etc., we can bring about profound change for our two peoples,” he said.
Herzog said Israel values its growing relationship with India and its strong friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he met during a state visit a few years ago.
He pointed to the recent I2U2 group convened during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, including India, Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, as “tangible evidence” that “we have peace that ushered in from here to India and back again. and a new era of prosperity”.
“By the way, we can now do it in a five-hour flight,” he said lightly of the direct flights between the two countries over Saudi and Omani airspace.
The Israeli president also extended his warm wishes to the newly elected Indian President, Draupadi Murmu, inviting her to Israel and also expressing his wish to visit India.
In his virtual address to the conference, Israeli Prime Minister Yar Lapid described India as an “innovative superpower that makes the world a better place” and expressed Israel’s desire to be a partner, ally and friend to India’s emerging story.
“India is a proud democracy rooted in deep history and traditions. It is also an innovation superpower that makes the world a better place,” Rapid said.
“That’s why Israelis love India and the Indian people. That’s why thousands of Israelis visit India every year,” he noted.
Rapide stressed that India and Israel will also celebrate their 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, and highlighted the launch of the groundbreaking I2U2 Forum.
“Today, as we celebrate all that India has accomplished over the past 75 years, we look forward to the next 75 years and beyond. We look forward to seeing the next chapter in India’s wonderful story unfold, and we are excited to be a part of that story, Be partners, allies and friends,” he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz extended his warm wishes to India, calling for a further deepening of “excellent defense relations” that “contribute to global peace and stability”.
Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been widely noted for his “excellent chemistry” with Prime Minister Modi in the past, also attended the event with his wife Sara.
“It took us decades to form a bond of friendship, but once we did, it was incredible!” Netanyahu asserted.
The Israeli leader said: “We are happy for your happiness, we are sad for your sadness, and together we have a great future. When you have good days, we are ecstatic, and when yours are bad, we With you.” Alluding to an all-weather partnership.
“But I think our days together are unbelievable,” he stressed.
The Speaker of the Knesset (Parliament) Mitch Levy also tweeted his congratulations on the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
In welcoming the guests, Indian Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singhra mentioned that the bilateral diplomatic relations had been upgraded to full-scale relations during the tenure of the current president’s father in the same office, noting that some in the room had seen the first Indian ambassador’s speech. Certificate from then-President Chaim Herzog 30 years ago.
Recalling the words of President Chaim Herzog, “If people shape history, history also shapes people,” Singhra stressed that the ties of civilization between India and Israel have indeed enriched our contemporary understanding.
“For centuries, a Jewish community has flourished in harmony with other communities in India. And, in Jewish history, you have rarely seen a long and continuous period of prosperity in freedom and equality like in India. And I It must be said that we Indians are proud of this,” he noted, emphasizing the well-known fact that India is one of the few places where there is no trace of anti-Semitism.
The Indian envoy praised the role of India’s Jewish community as a “active and hard-working force” that supports Israel’s nation-building and helps connect “our two countries.”
“Today, they form an organic bond between our two countries. We recognize and value their contributions, as well as those of others who have helped our relationship grow. For decades, Indian diaspora elsewhere have supported these efforts.
“So when Maestro Zubin Mehta conducts the national anthems of Israel and India, as he did with the Israel Philharmonic a few weeks ago, we are rightfully proud,” he stressed.
Also, during the First World War, hundreds of Indian soldiers fought in this land, many of them making the ultimate sacrifice. Among them were some Indian Jewish soldiers, he said.
“The story of the heroic cavalry charge of Indian soldiers who liberated the city of Haifa in September 1918 is of course well known. What is less well known is the sacrifices made by other soldiers in the land,” he noted.
“While there are monuments to Indian soldiers in the cemeteries in Jerusalem, Haifa and Ramle, we are now building the Indian Trail to commemorate the major battles Indian soldiers fought in the Holy Land.
Singhra stressed that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in July 2017 elevated the relationship to a “strategic partnership”, the relationship between the two countries “entered a qualitatively different track”.
He added that the political, trade, cultural, tourism and people-to-people ties between India and Israel have developed rapidly over the past 30 years.
Today, bilateral trade has exceeded US$7.8 billion, and the two countries are now seeking a free trade agreement that could serve as a basis for expanding trade and investment relations in the coming decades, he said.
Singhra believes that in addition to the many other fundamental geopolitical and geoeconomic changes taking place in the two regions, India and Israel face similar challenges to their societies from radicalism and terrorism, saying that both countries must have An ever-closer partnership.
“As we mark the 30th anniversary of India-Israel full diplomatic relations, as India completes 75 years of independence, and as India’s billion people write India’s story for decades to come, we can embark on new voyages and new horizons ,” he concluded.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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