Benjamin Netanyahu invites PM Modi, Smit Machchhar to light torch at Israeli Independence Day event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday discussed recent developments in West Asia, which have witnessed an escalation in hostilities in recent weeks, and emphasised the need to urgently restore peace and stability in the region.

Netanyahu, who dialled the Indian PM, said on social media he had invited Modi to join Indian pilot Smit Machchhar — currently recovering in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being injured while foiling an attempted hijacking last month — to light a torch on Israel’s Independence Day in May next year.

Modi’s social media post and an Indian government readout on the phone conversation made no reference to this issue.

In his social media post, Modi said he received a call from Netanyahu and they “exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region”. They also reviewed the “sustained momentum in our bilateral ties and reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening” the bilateral special strategic partnership.

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Modi reiterated “India’s call for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward”, the Indian readout said.

Netanyahu's Invitation to Modi and Machchhar

Netanyahu said in social media posts in Hindi and Hebrew that he invited Modi to “light a torch together with the heroic Indian pilot on the Independence Day of the State of Israel”.

He added, “Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel fight terrorism together. He expressed his appreciation for the courageous and long-standing relationship between us.”

Netanyahu’s invitation follows Israel President Isaac Herzog’s recent invite to Machchhar to visit the country to be given the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, the highest honour for bravery by civilians.

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The Hijacking Attempt and Machchhar's Bravery

Machchhar was severely wounded while trying to stop his Omani co-pilot from attempting to hijack a Flydubai flight with 174 passengers that was going from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. He sustained injuries to his head and neck when he was attacked with an axe, but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing crew members and passengers to overpower the co-pilot.

The aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, and Israeli officials have said the co-pilot intended to crash the aircraft. Modi and Netanyahu have lauded Machchhar for his bravery.

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Election Context

People familiar with the matter said Netanyahu’s social media post appeared to have been made with an eye on Israel’s general election on October 27, the first since the military campaign in Gaza and the country’s wars with Iran and Lebanon.