New Delhi: Israel is ready to collaborate with India to develop the Lakshadweep islands, where it is ready to set up a desalination project, its embassy announced Monday.
“We were in #Lakshadweep last year upon the federal government’s request to initiate the desalination program. Israel is ready to commence working on this project tomorrow,” the Israeli embassy in India posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag #ExploreIndianIslands.
The embassy’s announcement comes after Mariyam Shiuna, the now-suspended Maldivian deputy minister of youth empowerment, information and art, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “puppet of Israel” in a post that was later deleted.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has also strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Gaza and the Palestinian people and reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering support for Palestine.
Cooperation in water management and desalination has been a priority area for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. In July 2021, Israel appointed its first water attache to India, Lior Asaf.
“Following a dialogue between the government of Israel and the government of India following the visit of Prime Minister Modi in 2017 (to Israel)… Prime Minister Modi specifically requested to build another pillar of activity (between India and Israel) around the water sector,” Asaf had told ThePrint in July 2023.
The proposed desalination project in Lakshadweep is yet to take off.
Israel praises Lakshadweep ‘beauty’
In its post Monday, the embassy also highlighted the beauty of the Union territory. “For those who are yet to witness the pristine and majestic underwater beauty of #lakshadweepislands, here are a few pictures showing this island’s enchanting allure,” it said, sharing a few photos of the island.
Modi visited the Union territory last week and promoted tourism in the islands in a post on social media platform X. Though there was no mention of Maldives in his post, several Maldives ministers reacted harshly, construing Modi’s words as a challenge to their tourism industry.
The Maldives government immediately distanced itself from ministers Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, Mariyam Shiuna and Malsha Shareef, and suspended the trio.
Indians reacted by reportedly cancelling plans to visit the island nation, with travel agency EaseMyTrip even suspending bookings – a decision that is likely to hit Maldives in the next few weeks.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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