ISLAMABAD: Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday said that India and Israel are fighting a “war of good against evil”, stating that both nations were facing “hypocrisy” from the international community.
“Countries that judge us […] attempt to prevent us from responding to these threats of terrorism,” Smotrich said while speaking to the press in Mumbai.
The Israeli minister said that during his visit to the Chabad House in south Mumbai, he was reminded of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
He said that the Bilateral Investment Agreement signed between India and Israel yesterday expresses the “deep connection” that exists between the two countries. “This is a bond that is built, first of all, upon joint values,” he said, adding that the countries had “common friends and common enemies.”
He termed his visit as just the beginning of a deep bond and friendship.
Israeli minister's genocidal comments about Palestinians
Smotrich, who has been banned by several countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway for repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinian, is on a visit to India for the improvement of bilateral ties with the country.
The visit is aimed at promoting and protecting reciprocal investment between the two contries.
Smotrich has been barred from entering Spain, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said according to Times of Israel.
The Israeli is infamous for making genocidal comments. Two days ago, he said that the Palestinian Authority “must disappear from the map.” In May, he had said that Gaza would be “totally destroyed.”
“The Gazan citizens will be concentrated in the south. They will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places,” he had said in May according to Anadolu Ajansi.
ICC arrest warrants ready for Smotrich
According to Middle East Eye (MEE), arrest warrant applications against Smotrich on charges of apartheid are ready at the International Criminal Court. If the warrants are issued, it would be the first time that apartheid as a crime would be charged by an international court, MEE reported.
India revoked the status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories — Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory, according to Reuters.
The South Asia Terrorism Portal in a report said that more than 1,400 people have died since India revoked the special status of the territory. According to analyst Zara Farouk, there lies an ideological alignment between Zionism and Hindutva, adding that the “parallel strategies have done demonstrable harm to Palestinians in Israel and the 200 million Muslims residing in India, including the 8.5 million Muslims” in IIOJK.
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