New Delhi, Oct 15: In a significant development, Israel on Saturday thanked India for its support after India destroyed Pakistan in the World Cup match by seven wickets. This came after posters of Indian fans offering solidarity to Israel during the IND vs PAK match went viral.
Sharing a photo of an Indian fan at Narendra Modi Stadium waving a poster of PM Modi and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's ambassador to India Naor Gilon said Israel is happy that India emerged victorious and Pakistan could not attribute its victory to the terrorists of Hamas.
"We are happy that #India🇮🇳emerged victorious in the #INDvsPAK match at #CWC23 and that Pakistan was unable to attribute its victory to the terrorists of Hamas", Naor said.
The embassy too thanked India for the cricket fan for the 'India stands with Israel' poster. "We were really moved by Indian friends showing their solidarity with Israel 🇮🇱 by displaying posters during the match," he added.
Notably, this came days after Pakistan cricketer Muhammad Rizwan faced backlash in India after he dedicated Pakistan's recent win against Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza.
"This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. 🤲🏼 Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout," Rizwan tweeted on Wednesday. He was criticised on social media and compared to Hamas militants.
India's position on the Israel-Hamas war is interesting as India stands with Israel and unequivocally condemns terrorism but India also advocates direct negotiations towards "establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine".
Besides, Pakistan is a strong critic of Israel and a defender of Palestinian rights.