Israeli PM lauds Narendra Modi for moving India up the ease of doing business rankings, says the future belongs to nations that innovate.
New Delhi: Insisting that nations need to exert ‘hard power’ beyond just a soft approach, visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked about an India-Israel alliance, and called for cutting bureaucratic red tape to take ties forward.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, Netanyahu made a case for a free market approach to encourage innovation in technology, applauding PM Narendra Modi for moving India up on the ‘ease of doing business’ list.
“I like soft power, but hard power is usually better. You need F-35s (fighter jets), cyber, a lot of intelligence… Where does the power for hard power come from? It comes from economic power,” Netanyahu said, addressing an audience that included Modi.
Saying that Israel has achieved the goal of using economic power to build the military, the visiting PM said that the future belongs to nations that innovate.
“We have achieved a transition to a more liberal economy, and we are committed to this path. The future belongs to those who innovate. We are doing it and India is doing it,” he said.
Netanyahu said the main task before Indian and Israeli leaders was to “cut the bureaucracy with a machete”.
The leader said the common secret to the success of India and Israel were their shared traditional values, and innovation bound together with a commitment to democracy.
Referring to Modi’s tour to Israel last year, Netanyahu said he was the first Indian leader to visit in over 3,000 years.
“I want to tell you that we believe in India as you believe in Israel. May God bless the India-Israel alliance,” he said.
On the threat of extremism, Netanyahu called for strengthening the relationship between the two democracies. “Our way of life is being challenged by radical Islam and extremists from a variety of sources,” he said.
Well you heard it from a man of stature of a Prime Minister of Israel. He mentioned twice that bureaucrats need to be tamed.Our nation will develop many folds if bureaucrats perform their duties even to 50% correct. We have the worst bureaucracy in whole of Asia. They just pass their tough examination and thereafter no assessment and you become a sarkari damad.
Totally agree with Adit, no matter what has happened in the past/present or future, India will always be Pakistan’s friendi. Yes currently there are issues between Pakistan and India, but they are not as bad as the media tends to make out. I live in Pakistan myself and we have quite a few family and friends in India. When we visit, we also go and join our family’s Hindu neighbours for their Deewali celebrations. I say to hell with Netanyahu whom is just looking at creating a barrier between our countries. Your forgetting that the majority of Hard Power he’s talking about hasn’t been built by Israel, but has been handed over to them on a plate by America in the billions of dollars they get every year. Without them, Israel would be nothing.
If India has 1 true friend, its Israel. Israel helped India in Kargil war wid arms n ammo when no other country was willing. It did so against wishes of U.S. Without laser guided missiles provided by Israel, it wud have been very difficult for India to fight the war. They helped in 71 & 48wars too, though India voted against Israel in U.N. so many times.
https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/fyi/story/israel-helped-india-during-kargil-war-modi-in-israel-diplomatic-ties-1022521-2017-07-05
What are you saying? Pakistan is a friend – our PM goes for their PM’s budday party. Sri Lanka is a friend. Their cricket team never says No to playing bat ball with our lovely tots. Bangladesh is a friend – they are an alibi for everything that we do wrong in the east. When in doubt, call Bangla out. Nepal is a friend – though it is very worrying that ONE Hindu nation in this world, and India has managed to tiff with them also. Bhutan – ofcourse. All our surgical strikes they offer us access despite the loudmouth never keeping quiet. China are our best friends – our digital economy and Patel’s statue’s head they helped build. It’s all because of the charming personality of the PM. Mr Congeniality. Sarcasm aside, Netanyahu’s silly precedent not needed. Thanks but no Thanks
Same can be said about India, name ONE neighbour who is a friend?
Our one Shah Rukh Khan is enough to negate bullying power of 35 F 35s.
“You need F-35s (fighter jets), cyber, a lot of intelligence” . Really? Or Israel needs business and a market? A country that can’t live peacefully with one neighbour – ONE – and has friends in single digits, lives in perpetual fear and paranoia because it’s never learnt to cooperate, has zero consideration for inhabitants of where they set up their nation – is teaching India, what it needs. Do Indians a favour – give us the tech, take the suitable price, and spare us this advice. And don’t worry – if you don’t give us tech, someone else will. If not, finally Indians will Make something themselves. And you need to have soft power for it to work. India’s does. Israel might want to consider building some.