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Modi’s Israel Visit: Memories of a Journalist’s Visits To Jewish State

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8 years ago

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Modi In Israel

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By: Saeed Naqvi

Israel has been in the news in the context of the Prime Minister’s visit and I may be forgiven for a touch of nostalgia. I was the first Indian journalist to visit Israel after an Australian fanatic had set fire to the pulpit of the Al- Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem in August 1969. The Arab World was ablaze.

Indian passports in those days were not valid for South Africa, Israel and Southern Rhodesia. Under a special dispensation you could obtain a separate passport for travel to countries with which India did not have diplomatic ties. Israelis were more practical: they pinned a piece of paper for entry and exit which could be pulled out when travelling to other countries.

The reception I received at Ben Gurion airport was the stuff of fairytales for a reporter in his 20s. Never will Jerusalem Municipality have a public relations officer more beautiful than Bathsheba Herman.

Something that had not touched the Israelis then was arrogance. They came across as clever, wise, modest people, working diligently on their Kibbutz, the typically Jewish cooperatives, where inequalities were not discernable. It was possible to contemplate Fa Giladi, the exquisite Kibbutz in the shadow of Mt. Hermon, as the dream location for research on the Palestinian issue.

The simplicity of the people helped tone down shades of Zionism instilled in us and which was the bane of the Palestinian people. Ambassadors like John Kenneth Galbraith held Pandit Nehru in their thrall with their intellect. But during the Indira Gandhi years, changes were creeping across the diplomatic corps. There were various ways to gauge how well informed an Ambassador was. A simple test could be this: was the ambassador a regular fixture at the New Year eve party hosted by Indira Gandhi’s leftist adviser, editor of Seminar, Romesh Thapar. By this and several other criteria the trophy belonged to Clovis Maksoud, Arab League’s first ambassador, articulate, even bombastic, with an unerring eye for New Delhi’s well groomed ladies. His role in sensitizing the New Delhi elite to the intricacies of the Palestinian case must never be underestimated.

Nehru as leader of the Non-Aligned and Afro-Asian bloc obviously had a large constituency among left liberals and Muslims. His charm offensive even on the Arabs worked such magic that Raees Amrohvi, an Urdu poet from Pakistan, was moved to write a quatrain:

“Jup raha hai aaj mala ek Hindu ki Arab

Barhaman zaade mein shaane dilbari aisi to ho!

Hikmat e Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ki qasam

Mar mitey Islam jispar, kafiri aisi to ho!”

(What a spell this Brahmin has cast on the Arabs

Who now chant his name on their beads.

Look at the magic of this kafir (non-believer);

Believers of the Arab world lie at his feet)

Until 1990s, it was anti intellectual to cast positive light on the Israeli case. When Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1984, he was advised by Muslim Congressmen in his vicinity (but totally out touch with the community) not to upgrade relations with Israel because that would adversely affect the party’s Muslim support.

When I argued against this line in the Indian Express, Rajiv had it expanded into an official note. Muslim leaders, such as they were, and the Mullah had shackled the community with issues like Shah Bano, Salman Rushdie, Babri Masjid, Muslim character of Aligarh Muslim University and now relations with Israel. What any backward community needed was employment, education, entrepreneurial help, I wrote.

After Rajiv was assassinated, half way through the 1991 General Elections. P.V. Narasimha Rao upgraded relations with Israel in 1992. There was not a whimper from the community.

Initially, relations were more or less mechanically upgraded. Absence of any real content in the relationship invited Shimon Peres to quip in an interview with me:

“Indo-Israeli relations are like French perfume – to be smelt not drunk.”

The Israel Bathsheba Harman introduced me to soon after the 1967 war, had hardened by the 1993 Oslo accords. But even so one could salve one’s conscience with the thought that Oslo would atleast lead to a two-state solution.

 An episode firmed up my appraisal of the Israeli-Palestinian two-state process.

It was a Shabath lunch, at a friend’s house in Herzilia. Among this very small group happened to a person at one end of the lawn, wreathed in cigarette smoke, a glass of red wine in one hand, rapidly replenished, obviously reveling in the company of three well groomed ladies who had formed an admiring circle around him. It was Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, lighting one Kent after another, like Belmondo in a Godard film.

He came across at first a shy man but once he opened up, he was transparent and obviously trustworthy. His approach to Oslo was not at a variance from another loveable Israeli, Yossi Beilin, very much the author of the Oslo accords.

Obsession with survival and security had injected some iron in the Israeli soul, but the Jewish state became hard as nails after the 9/11 wars, Islamophobia, and Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister who visited India on the first anniversary of 9/11, just when the war-on-terror rhetoric was being amplified here too.

Sensitive defence deals with Israel begun under Atal Behari Vajpayee were boosted by Manmohan Singh. The Palestinian issue, which was highest priority upto Indira Gandhi, dipped in saliency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, however, is fired by an atavistic Hindutva adoration for a small country on top of its mischievous Muslim neighbors. Ramallah has been bypassed, of course. But it should not be lost on the insiders that during the September non aligned summit in Venezuela the Indian delegation received instructions from South Block, to drop the routine reference to the Palestinian issue altogether. It was a tradition from the earliest days of NAM.

No, Ramallah was not just bypassed; Palestine has been downgraded to the level of irrelevance.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Asim Munir appointed Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces, to serve 5-year term

Field Marshal Asim Munir has been appointed Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces, consolidating top military authority under a new constitutional amendment.

Published

12 hours ago

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December 5, 2025

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Pakistan has named Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as its first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), marking a major restructuring in the country’s military command. The appointment was approved by President Asif Ali Zardari following a formal recommendation from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Munir to hold dual charge as COAS and CDF

According to the President’s office, Munir will serve concurrently as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces for a five-year tenure. The creation of the CDF role — introduced under the 27th Constitutional Amendment — aims to centralise top-level military authority.

This decision comes after days of speculation due to delays in issuing the official notification, which was originally expected on November 29, the day Munir’s previous three-year term as army chief ended.

Former Indian security official Tilak Devasher had earlier commented to media that the Prime Minister appeared to be avoiding issuing the notification, leading to confusion within Pakistan’s military command structure.

Zardari also approves extension for Air Chief

Alongside Munir’s elevation, President Zardari approved a two-year service extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, effective from March 2026. The President extended his best wishes to both officers.

Munir, promoted to Field Marshal earlier this year, becomes only the second military officer in Pakistan’s history to hold this rank — the first being Gen. Ayub Khan.

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Imran Khan accuses Asim Munir of mental torture, says sister after rare jail meeting

Imran Khan has alleged “mental torture” inside Adiala Jail, according to his sister who met him after weeks of blocked access. The family claims authorities are withholding information about his condition.

Published

3 days ago

on

December 2, 2025

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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has alleged that he is being “mentally tortured” in prison and held General Asim Munir responsible for his continued isolation, according to his sister Dr Uzma Khanum, who met him inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for 20 minutes.

Sister says Khan “angry” over isolation

Dr Khanum told reporters that her brother is allowed out of his cell only briefly and has no means of communication with the outside world. She said Khan expressed anger over the conditions in which he is being held, stating he remains confined all day with no access to his family or party members.

She also said Imran Khan directly blamed General Asim Munir — now seen as Pakistan’s most powerful authority, having consolidated military control and secured lifetime immunity for top officials — for the treatment he is receiving in custody.

Meeting follows weeks of denied access

The rare meeting came after weeks of barred family visits, which fuelled speculation about Khan’s health. His sisters earlier claimed they were assaulted when they sought permission to meet him, while his sons publicly alleged that jail authorities were concealing “something irreversible” about his condition.

One of his sons, Kasim Khan, told media that despite a court order for weekly family meetings, they had no direct or verified contact.

Family members also said prison authorities repeatedly refused entry to Imran Khan’s personal doctor.

Rumours and protests intensify

Before Tuesday’s meeting, neither his relatives nor his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf colleagues had seen him for over 25 days, triggering widespread rumours of his death — speculation that officials did not counter with proof of life even as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government.

PTI’s Senator Khurram Zeeshan claimed Khan was being kept in isolation to force him into leaving Pakistan and accused authorities of withholding photos or videos due to fears over his influence.

The situation has sparked protests across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including demonstrations outside the Islamabad High Court.

In jail since August 2023

Imran Khan, the 72-year-old former cricketer and World Cup-winning captain, has been incarcerated since August 2023. Rumours about his wellbeing first circulated from social media accounts in Afghanistan, at a time when both countries have been locked in military tensions over a border dispute.

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Trump pledges permanent pause on migration from Third World countries in Thanksgiving message

US President Donald Trump declared that migration from all Third World countries will be permanently paused, criticising current immigration policies and announcing measures to remove non-citizens who he says do not benefit the US.

Published

1 week ago

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November 28, 2025

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US President Donald Trump has announced that he will “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries”, asserting that the move is necessary for the United States to “recover” and “heal”. His remarks were delivered in a Thanksgiving post, where he sharply criticised the Biden administration’s immigration policies and outlined sweeping measures aimed at restricting migration and removing non-citizens who, he says, do not contribute to the country.

Trump said he intends to reverse what he described as “illegal admissions”, end federal benefits for non-citizens, and strip citizenship from migrants who pose security concerns. He also reiterated plans to deport individuals he considers a “public charge” or “non-compatible with Western Civilization”.

The statement came shortly after two members of the National Guard were shot near the White House, an attack Trump called an “act of terror”.

One National Guard member dies after Washington shooting

Trump confirmed that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, one of the two West Virginia National Guard soldiers shot near Farragut West Metro station on Wednesday, died of her injuries. The ambush occurred while Trump was in Florida.

The alleged shooter was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021, according to enforcement officials.

‘Reverse migration’ needed, says Trump

In his post, Trump said his actions aim to significantly reduce “illegal and disruptive populations”, adding that only “reverse migration” can address the current situation. He accused the Biden administration of admitting migrants through an “unauthorized and illegal” approval process.

Concluding his message, he wished Americans a Happy Thanksgiving but added that those who “hate, steal, murder, and destroy” would “not be here for long”.

Attacks on foreign populations and Minnesota officials

Trump also targeted Somali refugees in Minnesota, alleging that gangs from the community are creating fear on the streets. He accused the Minnesota Governor of failing to address the situation due to “fear or incompetence”.

He further criticised Ilhan Omar, accusing her of complaining about the US despite her origins in a “crime ridden” nation.

Comments on America’s foreign-born population

Citing Census estimates, Trump claimed that the US foreign-born population stood at 53 million, alleging that “most are on welfare” or come from “failed nations” or criminal backgrounds. He said American citizens continue to support this population despite personal discomfort.

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