Bibi’s Modi moment - Indian Punchline

/bibis-modi-moment

  • Les Premiers ministres indien et israélien se rencontrent à New York et discutent coopération en matière de défense – french.xinhuanet.com
    http://french.xinhuanet.com/monde/2014-09/30/c_133683402.htm

    NEW DELHI, 29 septembre (Xinhua) — Le Premier ministre indien Narendra Modi a rencontré son homologue israélien Benjamin Netanyahu dimanche à New York pour discuter de la coopération dans le domaine de la défense, dans ce qui apparaît comme un rapprochement entre l’Inde et l’Etat juif, ont indiqué lundi les médias locaux.

    L’agence de presse Indo-Asian News Agency a repris les propos du bureau du Premier ministre expliquant lundi que M. Netanyahu avait également invité M. Modi en Israël, ce qu’il avait accepté. Un communiqué du bureau du Premier ministre indien précise : « Les deux dirigeants ont évoqué la solide relation et le commerce en croissance rapide. Ils ont également discuté de la manière de développer les liens. »

    La rencontre de dimanche était la première rencontre de haut niveau entre l’Inde et Israël depuis la visite du Premier ministre israélien Ariel Sharon en Inde en 2003. En tant que ministre de Gujarat, M. Modi s’était rendu en Israël en 2006.

    L’Inde a par le passé fermement soutenu la cause palestinienne aux Nations Unies ainsi que le mouvement des non alignés.

    Cependant, l’Inde n’a pas condamné l’opération militaire israélienne de cet été, ce qui a déclenché des manifestations dans le pays.

    ““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““
    Bibi’s Modi moment
    By M K Bhadrakumar – September 29, 2014
    http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/09/29/bibis-modi-moment

    So, these are happy hours for India-Israeli relations. Buy one glass of beer and another comes free. But how happy are they?
    The BJP under Hindutva leaders like Advani and the BJP under Modi are vastly different. The BJP today aspires to cast its net wide, after having met with stunning success in the last general elections in dozens of constituencies with significant Muslim electorate, including even some Muslim-majority constituencies. If the BJP hopes to eradicate the Congress Party from Indian politics, it needs to be projected as a party that speaks for all Indians.
    Again, the alacrity with which India has marked a distance from the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State and the Indian official spokesman’s measured comments when asked about the Islamic State having figured in Modi’s conversation with Bibi underscores that while extremism and terrorism are shared concern for the two countries, they also have specific interests to safeguard that may not necessarily overlap.
    In fact, the Indian official spokesman’s briefing and the animated Q&A that followed, when juxtaposed with the Israeli handout of the Modi-Bibi meeting, brings out some nuances.
    The israeli side highlighted that the ‘terrorist’ threat posed by Iran was a centre piece of the conversation. The Indian version, on the other hand, virtually contradicts it and conveys the impression that all that happened was that Bibi said his piece on the Middle East situation, which he was fully entitled to, and then they moved on. What needs to be factored in here is that Modi is yet to sit face to face with President Hassan Rouhani.
    As for “Islamic terrorism”, the Indian spokesman ducked and simply wouldn’t be drawn into a public comment as to what transpired between Bibi and Modi. But he hinted sufficiently enough that the two perceptions could be divergent. Most certainly, Delhi has to bear in mind the ghastly reality that the ISIL holds over three dozen Indians as hostages.
    Of course, Modi made a huge gesture to Bibi by altogether ignoring the Gaza issue. This is a great deviation from India’s traditional approach. But how can the Modi government discuss security and peace in the Middle East while skirting the core issue of Palestine?