P Jayaram
Economic Times
July 11, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Overseas Friends of the BJP (USA) ........... Voice: (718) 271-0453 54-15, 108th St. ............................ Fax: (718) 271-1906 Corona, NY 11368............................ WWW:http://www.ofbjp.org BJP's Website: http://www.bjp.org Title: Jaswant cements ties with Israel Author: P Jayaram Publication: Economic Times Date: July 11, 2000 THERE is a saying in Israel that the Jews work in Haifa, play in Tel Aviv and pray in Jerusalem. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh skipped the play - there was not even a game of golf on his itinerary - but took in all three cities on his first visit to the Jewish state last week that succeeded in putting Indo-Israeli relations on a qualitatively higher level. And to ensure that the trip, the first by an Indian foreign minister since diplomatic relations were established in 1992, is not misinterpreted as an overhaul of India's traditional pro-Arab Middle East policy, Singh began his itinerary in the region with a visit to the areas controlled by the Palestinian National Authority. He met with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at Ramallah, on the West Bank, and visited the Gaza strip where he inaugurated the Indian-funded Mahatma Gandhi Librarycum-Students Activity Centre at the Palestine Technical College in Deir El Balah and the Jawaharlal Nehru Library at Al-Azar University in Gaza city. Singh even made it a point to say to both his Palestinian and Israeli hosts that he felt as if he was on a "pilgrimage" and "privileged and honored" to be there even as he reiterated New Delhi's continued support to the Palestinians for their "inalienable rights to reside in internationally-recognised territories." But Singh was clearly overwhelmed by the warmth and goodwill of his Israeli hosts, so much so that for once the minister, always correct to a fault in his utterances, appeared to be carried away into making a remark that had a touch of controversy in it. - IANS
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