New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) — Israel does not place trust in countries with which it lacks diplomatic relations, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Wednesday, responding to a question about whether Tel Aviv trusts Pakistan amid the ongoing Iran conflict and related diplomatic efforts. Azar told IANS that Israel’s stance is guided by its own assessment and that of key allies.
“We are not going to engage in trusting a country that doesn’t have diplomatic relations with us. What we trust is our judgment and the judgment of the President of the United States,” the envoy said, underscoring Israel’s reliance on its own and allied judgments rather than outreach from states without formal ties.
Azar’s comments come after reports that Pakistan has engaged with the United States over the West Asia conflict and offered to host peace talks involving countries linked to the crisis. Islamabad has sought to position itself as a venue for dialogue, citing ties with both Washington and Tehran even as it faces criticism for strikes in Afghanistan and its own tensions with Kabul.
Asked about reports that the United States plans to invest in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and whether that could affect India‑Israel relations, Azar said the matter did not directly concern Israel and reiterated the strength of Indo‑Israeli cooperation. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in February for advancing the relationship and enabling major agreements across defence and other sectors.
“We have a very vast cooperation with India. … We will expand, quite substantially, our industrial defence cooperation, government‑to‑government ties in order to create technological solutions that give a good answer in the fight against terrorism,” Azar said, pointing to planned deepening of defence and technology ties.
During Modi’s February visit, India and Israel elevated their bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership and signed more than 16 agreements in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, defence, agriculture and space cooperation. Both countries reiterated commitments to strengthen the global fight against terrorism and to support peace efforts in Gaza.
The Israeli envoy also recalled Israel’s past diplomatic backing for India after terror incidents. Following the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed by Pakistan‑backed terrorists, Israel was among the first to express solidarity and support for India’s right to self‑defence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally called Modi to condemn the attack and stressed that there should be no safe haven for terrorism.
After the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir. Azar also posted on X that Israel supports India’s right to self‑defence, adding that “terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes,” a position Netanyahu publicly echoed in backing India’s response.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/we-dont-trust-nations-without-ties-israeli-envoy-on-pakistans-attempt-to-broker-us-iran-talks
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Publish Date: 2026-03-25 13:54:00
