As Israel prepares for a closely watched national election, the country's Embassy in New Delhi has reiterated that the strong partnership between India and Israel will remain unaffected irrespective of which political formation ultimately assumes power in Jerusalem.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Israeli Embassy spokesperson Mishelle Sirota stressed that the bilateral relationship enjoys broad political consensus in Israel and is not dependent on any single party or leader.
“India and Israel relationship will not change, even for the slightest, no matter who is going to be chosen,” Sirota said, underscoring the enduring nature of ties between the two countries.
Israelis are set to vote in parliamentary elections amid one of the most competitive political contests in recent years. The election will determine the composition of the 120-member Knesset and shape the formation of the country's next government.
Describing the election as a celebration of democracy, Sirota said Israeli citizens would decide how they want their nation to be governed over the coming four years.
She noted that approximately 7.3 million eligible voters are expected to participate in the electoral process. According to Sirota, Israelis traditionally demonstrate strong enthusiasm for voting, with many citizens travelling back to Israel from abroad specifically to cast their ballots because overseas voting is not permitted.
“Tomorrow, we are voting for the Israeli elections. We have 7.3 million eligible voters that are about to vote,” she said.
“Hopefully, we will have a very high percentage, as historically shown in Israel, people are very eager to vote. This is a very vibrant democracy. People come from abroad even to vote in Israel, because we cannot vote from outside.”
Sirota said every election provides Israelis with an opportunity to influence the country's future direction.
“Every election is a time for the society and the Israeli citizens to cast their vote and to see how they want the future of Israel to look like in the next four years.”
Drawing comparisons between Israel and India, she pointed to the significant differences in scale between the two democracies. While Indian elections are conducted over several weeks and often months due to the size of the electorate, Israel completes voting within a single day and typically obtains results very quickly.
“I think apart from the scale and the fact that your elections go through a few months, and for us it's only one day, and we get the results pretty quickly. So about tomorrow, like the day after the elections, we will already know the results,” she explained.
She also highlighted that Israel continues to use a manual voting system rather than electronic voting machines.
“We also vote manually, so it's not an electronic device. People cast their votes in an envelope.”
Despite these procedural differences, Sirota said India and Israel share many common democratic values and priorities.
“I do think we have a lot of similarities in that a lot of the voters vote for national security, pluralism, democratic values, liberal values, and traditions.”
She added that the democratic character of both nations forms a major foundation of their close relationship.
“As the biggest democracy in the world, and the only democracy in the Middle East, we have a lot of similarities, and I think it's also the beauty of the relationship and what makes us so strongly attached to each other.”
Reaffirming institutional continuity, Sirota said Israeli diplomats represent the state rather than a particular political party and would work with whichever government emerges from the election.
“As an embassy, we will obviously represent every government that is going to be chosen, and I do have a very strong belief in the democratic system in Israel,” she said.
She highlighted freedom of opinion and freedom of religion as important pillars of Israeli democracy.
“As an embassy and as a diplomat, we are obviously going to support whoever is going to be in power, and I am sure that it's not going to change the relationship between the nations.”
Addressing public sentiment after years of regional instability and conflict, Sirota acknowledged that many Israelis want a more peaceful future while remaining firmly committed to national security.
“Obviously, there are different opinions. That's the beauty of democracy. So I think after three years of war, a lot of the Israeli citizens want to see better days. We want to be in peace with our neighbours.”
At the same time, she stressed that ensuring the safety of Israeli citizens remains a priority shared across the political spectrum.
“We obviously have to keep the safety of our civilians in our borders in place, and it's a very strong consensus in Israel that we will make sure that every single citizen is safe no matter what our neighbors are planning. And unfortunately, they are sometimes planning to hurt us very badly.”
The election comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Israel. The country remains deeply engaged in regional security challenges, including tensions linked to Iran and continuing security concerns along its northern and southern fronts. Analysts broadly expect that regardless of who forms the next government, strategic cooperation with India in areas such as defence, technology, agriculture, innovation, water management and trade will remain a core element of bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters the election presenting himself as the leader best equipped to confront regional security threats, particularly those posed by Iran. His coalition includes the Likud Party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party.
His principal challenger is former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who has campaigned on his national security credentials while also projecting himself as a political outsider capable of providing a fresh direction for the country.
Other significant contenders include the alliance led by former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, and a four-party coalition headed by Yair Golan that draws substantial support from Israel's Arab minority.
Opinion surveys ahead of polling have suggested a highly fragmented political landscape, with coalition negotiations likely to play a decisive role in determining who ultimately forms the next government.
The contest has therefore evolved into a high-stakes battle between veteran political survivor Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, with the outcome expected to influence not only Israel's domestic political trajectory but also broader developments across West Asia.
Recent assessments from political observers indicate that while leadership and regional policies may evolve, India-Israel cooperation is widely expected to remain strong due to deep-rooted strategic, economic and technological interests shared by both nations.
ANI
