Wholly Water From Jerusalem

Irrigation and crops figure in strategic deal; not ammunition and guns

- R. Prasannan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rarely let his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi out of sight for the two days the latter spent in Israel. Not only did he give Modi a private vegetarian dinner at home, which is a rare honour extended to any state guest, but he also broke protocol to take him to the Indian community reception at the Tel Aviv exhibition ground.

Despite such care, the diplomats goofed up the most important part of the visit. After the delegation-level talks and lunch on July 5, the two prime ministers made their press statements, but the official joint statement that had been hammered out a week earlier came out in two versions! And the variance was over the most vital phrase—strategic partnership—that too in the first paragraph.

The Israeli version read: “This historic first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel raised the bilateral relationship to a new level in order to solidify the enduring friendship between their peoples.” On the other hand, the Indian version read that the visit “solidified the enduring friendship between their peoples and raised the bilateral relationship to that of a strategic partnership”.

A mad scramble ensued after the media pointed out the varying versions at Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar’s briefing. Finally, red faced diplomats attributed the confusion to “a clerical error”. And both sides agreed that the phrase “strategic partnership” stands.