Israeli Ambassador calls India key part of resolution of West Asia conflict

Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar expressed his views on Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential elections and spoke to ANI about prospective foreign policy shifts of the United States. He also shared his expectations from India amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

On being asked what policy shifts Israel is expecting after the change in the administration, Ambassador Azar called the electoral decisions "quite significant political development in the United States".

He shared that since they had previously interacted and worked with the Trump presidency, Israel knows how they work. "We're looking forward to engaging with them. During the first Trump administration, a lot of achievements were achieved in the Middle East, especially the Abraham Accords. We are looking forward to the expansion of that".

He also added, "First of all, we have to concentrate on finishing the war, finishing the job, neutralizing the threats that we have against us in our region. And if we are successful in neutralizing those threats, I think it will lay the foundations for creating the stability and prosperity that we all want".

On being asked about response towards the statement by Hamas wherein it called for US to end its support to Israel, the Ambassador said, " I think that what we should concentrate right now is in making sure that Gaza will no longer be held hostage by Hamas, especially not the Palestinian population.".

He said, "They (Palestinians) deserve a much more moderate and mature leadership that will engage with us (Israel) in creating the stability that we need in our region, in negotiating peace, in giving the Palestinians a real chance to rule themselves with a government that will actually seek cooperation and not the destruction of our country".

Ambassador Azar said that while coming towards a resolution of the conflicts in West Asia, "India is going to be an essential part of it because it (India) has a lot of things to offer to countries in our region".

He also commented on Israel's expectations from the government of India when it comes to the tensions in West Asia. "We are continuing our dialogue with the Indian government".

"We are all waiting for a situation in which we can reengage in projects of connectivity between Asia and Europe in working together with governments in the region to lay the foundations for the logistic and economic infrastructure that we need in order to do more trade, cooperate more in technology, and advance solutions that solve day-to-day issues for normal people in the world".

India's 2023 G20 presidency saw the country bringing forward the idea of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

The corridor would provide reliable and cost-effective cross-border ship-to-rail transit network to supplement existing maritime routes, thereby increasing efficiency, reducing costs, securing regional supply chains, increasing trade accessibility, enhance economic cooperation, generate jobs and lower greenhouse gas emission, resulting in a transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. However due to the conflict in West Asia the project is facing challenges.