India-Israel relations: Israel's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has praised India in a recent interview. He has said that Israel can learn from India the use of soft power to win the battle of narrative in times of conflict.

As the US stepped up its military campaign to destroy Hamas, there was a wave of support for the Palestinians in Gaza. "As the only Jewish state in the region, Israel is outnumbered in the geopolitical structure," said Israel's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar.

Reuven Azar said this 

In an interview to the Times of India, he said, "We are the only Jewish state. India has very powerful media outlets that are investing billions of dollars like Al Jazeera, TRT and many other outlets. To be honest, we are not investing enough because most of our investment has gone into hard power, not soft power. The way India is challenging these groups, India is getting hard and soft power."

'India is our ally'

Talking about the relationship with India, he said, "I am not in the business of giving grades to my friends. I think when it comes to our core national interests, India has been very supportive. Of course, we would like to see many countries, including India, change their voting pattern. I told my Indian friends that when it comes to UNRWA, we want them to channel their aid to those in need through other channels. So this is a conversation we are having and we are going to continue it. Ultimately it is a very friendly relationship and we have to continue discussing it."

Said this on Gaza ceasefire 

On the Gaza ceasefire, he said, "There may be some progress in negotiations for a hostage deal. The ambassador said Israel's agenda in Gaza is to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and ensure that the group cannot rearm itself."