- Oct 9, 2005
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Israel has issued a vehement protest to India after a number of senior Indian politicians attended an event last week honoring journalist Syed Kazmi, who is charged with involvement in an attack on the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi in February 2012.
Kazmi, the only person arrested after the attack, is charged with being an agent of Irans Revolutionary Guard in New Delhi for at least 10 years.
A senior Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem said the April 17 event marked the launch of a new newspaper, of which Kazmi will be editor-in-chief. The event was attended by the chief minister of the state of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, and several members of parliament. The publisher of the new Urdu-language paper is the father of Kazmis lawyer, Mahmood Paracha, who has also represented Dikshit in the past.
In addition to those who attended the event, a number of other senior Indian officials sent letters of congratulations and support for the new publication. Reports of the event reached the Israeli Embassy, which alerted the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. After consultations it was decided not to summon the Indian ambassador to Israel for a reprimand but to instead deliver a sharply worded message directly to senior officials in New Delhi.
Israeli Ambassador to India Alon Ushpiz spoke with several senior Indian officials and clarified that Israel viewed the attendance of senior officials at the event very gravely. The Indians, for their part, tried to explain their actions and soothe Israels anger.
We find it most inappropriate to acknowledge and honor a person who is facing such extremely serious charges, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. We have expressed our view to the government of India, within the open and frank dialogue that the two countries maintain.
On February 13, 2012, Tali Yehoshua-Koren, wife of the Defense Ministry representative in India, was wounded while driving one of the embassy vehicles to pick up her children from school. An unknown motorcyclist had attached a bomb to the rear of the vehicle and fled seconds before the blast.
Israel blamed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards for the attack. In July 2012, the Indian Police released the results of its investigation, which found that Iranian elements had been behind the attack. The report alleged that Kazmi had helped collect intelligence that aided in the bombing.
Kazmi was the only one arrested because the other members of the Iranian terror cell succeeded in fleeing the country within 24 hours of the blast. Kazmi was jailed for several months and released on bail this past October, despite Israels protests. Indian authorities claimed that under local laws, they could not hold Kazmi in custody until the end of legal proceedings. Kazmis trial is proceeding slowly, to Israels frustration.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-protests-india-s-feting-of-journalist-accused-of-aiding-iran-in-new-delhi-car-bombing.premium-1.517428
India is so fucked up at the moment, the Indian government thinks nothing of its officials honoring a person who collaborated attacks on Israeli embassy staff members. Screw the Indian government for its appeasement of terrorists. :thumbsdown: