Israel condemns Varanasi blasts

NEW DELHI: Israel became the one and only country in Asian-Africa region to strongly condemn the terrorist attacks on Varanasi, the Hindu holy city.

“Israel condemns in the strongest possible terms the terror attacks that took place in the holy city of Varanasi. These heinous attacks were carried out with the clear intention of offending religious sensibilities among pilgrims in one of the most sacred sites in India. It is up to all of us in the international community to fight terrorism in any and all forms. Israel’s special sensitivity to holy sites is well known in this regard. We believe that there must be a unanimous call from all religious leaders that emphasizes the universal nature of religious sites, in the hope of preventing similar attacks in the future. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and with the people of India,” said a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Israel.

It may be noted that Israel is one of the very few countries in the world which has always stood by India on all issues ranging from Kashmir and  Jehadi terrorism. But the so called secular governments which were in power from time to time never bothered to reciprocate the gestures by the Jewish state. Moreover, when Ariel Sharon, the beloved leader of the Israeli people made a state visit to India in 2004,  political parties like Congress, CPM, CPI and Muslim League  staged rallies all over the country to embarrass the then NDA Government.