How events are forging ever stronger ties between India and Israel.
----- Nitin Mehta, London UK.
As the world woke up to the news that a Flydubai airplane was subject to a terror attack on Wednesday 30th September 2026 there was relief that it had been foiled. The initial coverage in several British media was that it was a 'cockpit altercation' or a ' fight between pilots'. The plane they said was saved from crashing by a plumber, a dentist and a few others as well as the two pilots who were passengers on the plane. The first report in the Times on October 1 did not even mention the Indian origin Pilot Smit Machahhar at all!
This drew fierce criticism from commentators and Israeli journalists who accused the broader international media of trying to sanitize or "cover up" what Israeli authorities officially deemed an "attempted jihadist terror attack" executed by an Omani co-pilot who had undergone "Islamist radical indoctrination". This was a serious attempt to kill around 174 people on the plane. It was only after Trump, Netanyahu and Modi called captain Smit Machahhar a hero that the papers like the Guardian and the BBC acknowledged that it was the Indian pilot who had saved around 174 passengers most of whom were Israelis.
However, old habits die hard. The Guardian was back to old tricks. An article on October 2 was titled, 'Was it a suicide or terrorism'! A piece on October 3 in the Guardian called the terror attack a, 'plane incident'! The Times called it an, 'attempted terrorist attack'!.
Captain Smit was involved in a life and death struggle after being stabbed repeatedly with a Crash Axe by the co-pilot. Crash axe is usually kept in the cockpit in case of emergencies. Speaking to PM Modi Smit said that he was chanting Hanuman Chalisa during the attack and managed to unlock the cockpit. Smit grew up in the Mumbai suburb of Ghatkopar East in a Gujarati family. He had 9,750 hours of flying experience including more than 6,400 as pilot in command. He lives in Dubai with his wife and two children. As in India all over Israel Smit is being feted as a big time celebrity. India and Israel are united in a common bond celebrating lives saved from potential terrible tragedy.
Just as this terror attack has brought India and Israel closer, another event brought them together. In November 2008 Pakistan based terrorists attacked Mumbai city and the Jewish Cultural Centre. It resulted in the death of 6 Jewish people. This led to a Counter terrorism Partnership between India and Israel which includes intelligence sharing and joint security frameworks against radical groups. It also strengthened bilateral cooperation in defense technology, homeland security and space research. PM Modi visited Israel in July 2017 and February 2026. PM Nethanyahu visited India in November 2018.
The destinies of the two nations are further strengthened by an event that took place in 1918. It is known as the battle of Haifa. On September 23, 1918, the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade captured the strategic port city of Haifa from the Ottoman Empire. The brigade was made up of brave horsemen from the Jodhpur, Mysore, and Hyderabad Lancers. Led by the Jodhpur Lancers and Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat the troops performed a daring cavalry charge against heavily armed Ottoman and German positions. This action is remembered by historians as one of the last great cavalry charges in military history. Haifa was liberated by the Indian soldiers. Israel acknowledges this great act of valour by the Indian army. Every year around September 23, commemorative events take place in the Israeli port city of Haifa to honour the 1918 Battle of Haifa.
The Ottoman Empire was a massive powerful Islamic state that lasted more than 600 years. At its peak it controlled the Balkan peninsula, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, and parts of Hungary, reaching as far north-west as the gates of Vienna. In Asia it covered modern day Turkey, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. It also covered the Caucasus region of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, alongside parts of southwestern Russia.In Africa it included Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria.
The ties between the two peoples go even further back. There has been a Jewish presence in India for 2000 years. Known as Cochin Jews they have lived in Kerala and never faced any persecution. There are also the Baghdadi Jews who live in India. They arrived during the British era from Iraq. The Bene Israel group originates from Maharashtra. They have built Synagogues and practice their faith freely. There are also the Bnei Menashe communities from Mizoram and Manipur in India's northeast who trace their lineage to the biblical tribe of Manasseh. Many of them are moving to Israel.
Many Jewish individuals have played a prominent role in Indian society. One of them is Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacob, a distinguished Baghdadi-Jewish military leader who served as a key architect of the Indian Army's victory in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and later served as Governor of Goa and Punjab. David Sassoon was a prominent 19th-century philanthropist and merchant leader who helped build Bombay’s (Mumbai's) textile and trading economy. He funded and established civic infrastructure, including hospitals (such as Sassoon Hospital in Pune), schools, synagogues and libraries. The American Jewish Committee has observed that India stands out globally for lacking a native tradition of anti-Jewish hatred or pogroms.
Indian Jews in Israel
Approximately 85,000 Jews of Indian origin and their descendants live in Israel, forming a vibrant and successfully integrated community. The Bene Israel are the largest Indian Jewish group. Many have settled in cities like Beersheba and Ramla. Around another 40,000 Indians also live in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently that Israel enjoys tremendous support from India, a country with a population of 1.4 billion. He made the remarks during an interview with Fox News, responding to comments by US Vice President J.D. Vance who described the US as the only powerful ally of Israel.
Smit by the way means Smile in sanskrit and all the photos of Smit show him smiling! To be able to chant Hanuman Chalisa when under a murderous attack means Smit is special! He will inspire generations to come to seek the blessings of Lord Hanuman.
Nitin Mehta
4 October 2026.
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