Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel was badly timed and created a perception of political endorsement of the attack on Iran, according to a Kerala-born former chief agronomist in Israel, who was invited as a guest to the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv during Modi’s visit.
Menahem Pal, 72, and his son had to take shelter in a bunker under their house twice on Sunday morning after air raid sirens blared across Israel.
Pal, born in North Paravoor in Ernakulam, told The Telegraph over phone that the Indian embassy in Israel had invited him as a guest when Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu delivered joint statements following high-level talks in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Pal said the timing of Modi’s visit was odd as news of an imminent attack on Iran had been circulating for quite some time. “Modi’s two-day visit happened at a most inopportune time. Soon after his return, it became quite evident that US President Donald Trump would green-light an attack on Iran at any moment,” Pal said.
Like every Israeli, Pal has grown accustomed to spending long hours in the bunker, which became a new normal against the backdrop of escalating conflicts, particularly with Iran and its proxies.
“For every Israeli, daily existence is a struggle. But that doesn’t mean war can heal everything. Life is not normal here. Schools and colleges have closed. Only essential establishments are open. People have been asked to stay home and enter bunkers when sirens are sounded,” Pal said.