Attack on Israeli diplomat not on Modi-Netanyahu agenda: Daily

An attack by alleged Iranian agents on Israeli diplomats in New Delhi in 2012 is not on the agenda of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli daily reported on Wednesday.

Despite the cooperation between the two countries on security issues, there was one terror attack "the Indians are not anxious to discuss", the Haaretz newspaper reported.

In February 2012, suspected Iranian agents carried out a terror attack against Israeli diplomats in the heart of Delhi.

The wife of the Israeli Defence attache in India, Tali Yehoshua-Koren, was wounded in the attack. Israel's ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, had said that his country would not rest until the last of the assailants stood trial.

"But the fact is that the Indians have not yet tried even the first of those involved," the daily said.

It said that in the months after the attack, the Indians investigated and even arrested and indicted an Indian citizen on suspicion of assisting the assailants.

"But a short time later the Indians let the investigation disintegrate. The suspect was released and no verdict has been issued to this day.

"Moreover, although the Indians know fully well that Iran was behind the attack, they still refuse to admit it officially and point a finger at the regime in Tehran," it said.

Ahead of Modi's visit, the Israeli Foreign Ministry treated questions about India's conduct in the attack like "radioactive waste", the report said.

"The government of India is not covering up the investigation of the attack," Israeli Ambassador Carmon said. "We continue to raise the matter."

The newspaper said: "But off the record, senior officials in the defence establishment and the Foreign Ministry concede the issue has been covered up and made to go away by the Indians, who acted anaemically toward the Iranians due to a long list of other interests that were more important.

"The Indians, who maintain close ties to Tehran in the areas of trade and energy, politely asked the Iranians not to commit any more attacks on Israeli targets in India, and swept the matter under the rug."

The daily said that even if the issue of the Iranian attack came up in the talks to be held in closed rooms during Modi's visit, it was not expected to dominate the conversation.

"The reason is the desire to avoid any dispute during Modi's visit, especially a public one, as well as to promote economic interests with India," it said.

"One can understand the Indian cover-up; less understandable is why Israel is lending it a hand."

--IANS

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