Israel Reaffirms Strong Relations with India as Netanyahu's Visit Gets Rescheduled Due to Security Concerns

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has stated that they are working to 'coordinate a new visit date' to India following reports of his visit being postponed.

In an official statement shared on X, Netanyahu's office emphasized that "The PM has full confidence in India's security under PM Modi, and teams are already coordinating a new visit date."

The statement further highlighted that "Israel's bond with India" and the relationship between the prime ministers of both countries are "very strong".

Prime Minister's Office: Israel's bond with India and between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister @narendramodi is very strong. The PM has full confidence in India's security under PM Modi, and teams are already coordinating a new visit date.

According to Israeli media reports, the trip was postponed due to security concerns following the recent terror attack in New Delhi, which was the deadliest in the capital in over a decade, resulting in at least 15 fatalities and dozens of injuries.

Israeli news outlet i24NEWS reported that "Netanyahu, who last visited India in 2018 and was set to return for meetings with PM Modi, is now expected to seek a new date next year pending security assessments."

Reports had indicated that Netanyahu was planning to visit India before the end of the year. This marks the third cancellation of his planned visit to India this year.

Netanyahu's previous visit to India was 7 years ago, when he spent six days from January 14 to 19, 2018 - the second visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to India.

Following the Red Fort blast, Netanyahu had expressed his condolences to PM Modi and the people of India.

In his message shared on X, Netanyahu described India and Israel as ancient civilizations standing on eternal truths and emphasized that terrorist attacks would never undermine the strong resolve of people from both nations.

"To our dear friend Narendra Modi and to the brave people of India: Sara and I, and the people of Israel, send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Israel stands strong with you in sorrow and in strength in this time," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office posted.

"India and Israel are ancient civilizations that stand on eternal truths. Terror may strike our cities, but it will never shake our souls. The light of our nations will outshine the darkness of our enemies," the statement added.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Netanyahu on Sunday during his three-day diplomatic visit to Israel.