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How Israel Surprised the World During Its President's Visit to India
(Daily Mail-UK) Kanchan Gupta - President Barack Obama skipped his scheduled visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra last year because American sharpshooters were not allowed on the premises of the monument. The U.S. security agencies assessed that the American President was unsafe in a Muslim-dominated area. If Muslim dislike was the reason that kept Obama away from the Taj Mahal, it should have surely stopped Israel's President Reuven Rivlin from even considering a visit to Agra. But Rivlin did visit Agra and was photographed, along with his wife, in front of the Taj Mahal. Another notable surprise was Rivlin's visit to Teen Murti to pay homage to Indian soldiers who fought for and fell at Haifa. Most Indians would not know the history of the Teen Murti monument; the Israelis do. During World War I, Haifa was captured by the British 15th Imperial Cavalry Brigade comprising regiments of the Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers. Over 25 years of diplomatic relations, Israel has given to India unquestioningly. We desperately needed ammunition during the Kargil conflict, Israel shipped the shells to us overnight. We needed air-surveillance platforms, Israel provided them to us. With Russia faltering as India's primary supplier of weaponry, Israel stepped into the gap. A lot more can be added to the list - from agricultural and water technology to high-end satellite technology and sensors on borders to monitor movements. A gaggle of extremists and Marxists issued a statement condemning Rivlin's visit to India. The statement hilariously demanded that India should join the "Boycott, Divest, Sanction" movement against Israel - a movement which has little to do with Palestinian aspirations and is really about anti-Semitism.