by Diplomatic photo-op raises questions about spice routes and defense deals
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry in Jerusalem this week, in what diplomatic circles are calling “a meeting that definitely happened.” The photo-op, posted to social media with the kind of careful staging usually reserved for Bollywood promotional shoots, shows two politicians smiling like they’ve just discovered a mutual trade agreement that benefits everyone except perhaps their accountants.
The meeting comes at a time when both nations are looking to strengthen ties, diversify partnerships, and generally appear busy and important on the international stage. Netanyahu, sporting his signature expression of “I’m listening but also thinking about something else,” welcomed the Indian minister with the warmth of someone who definitely knows which Indian spices go in which dishes.
Observers noted the irony of discussing commerce and industry in a region better known for its… let’s call them “geopolitical complications.” It’s like opening a yoga studio in the middle of a construction zonetechnically possible, but requiring significant mental flexibility and a high tolerance for unexpected disruptions.
The Indian minister, representing a nation that has mastered the diplomatic art of maintaining friendships with everyone while committing to no one, smiled for the cameras with the practiced ease of someone who’s done this dance before. India’s strategy of being friends with Israel, Iran, Russia, and the United States simultaneously is the foreign policy equivalent of a Bollywood hero managing multiple love interestscomplicated, occasionally contradictory, but somehow it works.
Sources close to the meeting report that discussions covered everything from defense cooperation to technology transfers, with both sides nodding enthusiastically about “deepening bilateral ties.” In diplomatic speak, “deepening bilateral ties” roughly translates to “we both want something from each other but we’re going to be very polite about it.”
The timing is particularly interesting given India’s growing role as a global economic player and Israel’s perpetual need for international friends who aren’t constantly lecturing them at the UN. It’s a match made in realpolitik heavenIndia gets access to Israeli defense technology and cybersecurity expertise, while Israel gets a massive market and a friend with a seat on the international stage.
Netanyahu’s social media team posted the photo with captions in both English and Hebrew, though notably not in Hindi, which might be seen as a missed opportunity for cross-cultural engagement. Then again, Google Translate only goes so far when you’re trying to convey complex trade negotiations in 280 characters or less.
The meeting concluded with the traditional exchange of pleasantries, photo opportunities, and promises to “stay in touch,” which in diplomatic terms means “we’ll see each other at the next international summit and pretend we’ve been in constant communication.” Both sides declared the meeting a success, which is what you say when nothing has actually been finalized but everyone needs to look productive.
SOURCE: https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1992543314466259414/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
SOURCE: Bohiney.com (https://x.com/netanyahu/status/1992543314466259414/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet)
