– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Bengaluru, May 15: Prominent citizens who joined Consul General of Israel to South India, Tammy Ben-Haim, for the 76th ‘Independence Day’ of Israel in the city were Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka and Biocon Limited founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Leaders in entrepreneurship and business, including consuls general of other countries were also present.
Heaping praise on Israel, Narayan Murthy said there was a lot to be learnt from the India-Israel friendship and exchange of knowledge on agriculture, water, food production and energy. “Israel is number two in the world in innovation, in entrepreneurship and in using the power of the mind to create a better future,” he said.
Murthy said he regretted not being able to visit Israel in 2023, but hoped to visit soon. “Israel has a great future. It will overcome its difficulties. I wish Israel and the entire region peace, joy, progress and prosperity.”
Ashoka addressed the multicultural crowd in Kannada and English, praising Modi’s support for Israel, lauding Israel’s contributions to science, research, defence and innovation, and wishing for a long and prosperous relationship between the two countries.
Wearing a yellow ribbon lapel pin, a symbol of bringing hostages home, Tammy Ben-Haim lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government and global businesses for their support of the Israeli cause. “The war has been so painful for us, but we will not stop our fight against the ‘terrorists’. Let us all pray together for an end to the war and an end to the suffering,” she said.
It appears that all the locals who assembled there were all for justification of Israeli brutality in Gaza, and no sympathy for the sufferings of innocent children, women and aged Palestinians. ‘Birds of a feather flock together’.
