India was urged to adopt an “even-handed posture” in the Middle East and was assured that the establishment of ties with Israel would not injure New Delhi’s relations with the Arabs “because india is important to the Arab world.”
The speaker was Ambassador Michael Comay, political advisor to the Israel Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem who is currently serving as floor chairman of the Israeli delegation to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (UNCTAD). He addressed the Indian Council on World Affairs. Ambassador Comay named a long list of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with both Israel and the Arab states. He said he understood the concern expressed by some of his indian friends that “India’s case on Kashmir would be prejudiced by diplomatic ties with Israel” but that he believed those fears were “highly exaggerated.” He said he thought it was “inconceivable” that the Arabs would sever relations with India if India-Israeli relations were normalized.
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