Israeli PM Naftali Bennett postpones India visit after contracting COVID-19
Jerusalem, Mar 29: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who contracted COVID-19, has postponed his maiden trip to India planned for next week, his office said on Tuesday.
Bennett, 50, was scheduled to visit India from April 3 to 5 to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"Prime Minister Bennett's trip to India has been postponed and will be rescheduled," his office said in a brief statement.
Bennett tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday. His office said the Prime Minister is "feeling well and will continue to work from home."
"We regret to inform you that the visit of H.E. Mr. Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, to India has been postponed due to Covid-19. The Prime Minister has tested positive for coronavirus," Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon said in a separate statement.
It was not immediately clear when the trip would take place.
"We are working with our Indian partners on another date for the visit as part of the celebrations of 30 years of Diplomatic Relations between the countries as well as 75 years of India's independence. Israel will continue to strengthen its robust friendship and growing partnership with the people of India," Gilon added.
The premier's postponement came a day after Defence Minister Benny Gantz also put off his planned visit to India due to the volatile security situation in Israel, after two deadly terror attacks claimed the lives of six Israelis within days, The Times of Israel newspaper reported.
The maiden visit of Bennett who became prime minister in June last year was also aimed at expanding the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of innovation and technology, security and cyber, and agriculture and climate change.
"I am delighted to pay my first official visit to India at the invitation of my friend, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, and together we will continue leading the way for our countries' relations," Bennett had said while announcing his visit last week.
"Modi restarted relations between India and Israel, and this is of historic importance. The relations between our two unique cultures the Indian culture and the Jewish culture are deep, and they rely on deep appreciation and meaningful collaborations," he had said.
The two leaders had first met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November last year during which they reviewed the bilateral ties besides exchanging views about expanding cooperation in areas of high-technology and innovation.
India and Israel elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during the historic visit of Prime Minister Modi to Israel in July 2017.
Since then, the relationship between the two countries has focused on expanding knowledge-based partnership, which includes collaboration in innovation and research, including boosting the 'Make in India' initiative.
Prime Minister Bennett has earlier described the "deep relationship" between India and Israel as one coming from the heart and not being about interests and urged Prime Minister Modi to work together to take the bilateral ties to "a whole new level".
Though India recognised Israel in 1950, full diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
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US universities urge foreign students to return to campus ahead of Trump's swearing-in
New York (PTI): Several American universities have issued travel advisories for their international students as well as staff and urged them to return to the US before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January next year amid concerns over travel bans that may be enacted by his administration.
Trump will take the oath of office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on issues of economy and immigration on his first day as the 47th President of the United States.
Amid concerns over the disruptions caused by travel bans during his first term as president, several top US universities are issuing travel advisories for their international students and faculty who may be travelling outside the country around Trump’s inauguration.
According to data from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education, India and China made up over half (54 per cent) of all international students in the United States.
But for the first time since 2009, India became the leading place of origin with 331,602 international students in the United States in 2023/2024, reflecting a 23 per cent increase from the prior year, surpassing China, according to data from the ‘Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange’.
China was the second leading place of origin, despite a 4 per cent decline to 277,398 students. It remained the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517, respectively.
Associate Dean and Director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Students Office David Elwell in a post following the presidential elections said that with every election, “when there is a change in administration on the federal level there can be changes in policies, regulations, and legislation that impacts higher education as well as immigration and visa status matters".
Elwell urged students to assess their travel plans over the upcoming winter break, noting that new executive orders under Trump may impact travel and visa processing.
In addition, election transitions also impact staffing levels at US Embassies/Consulates abroad, which could impact entry visa processing times.
“Students who would need to apply for a new entry visa at the US Embassy/Consulate abroad to return to the US in their student status should assess the possibility of facing any extensive processing times and have a backup plan if they must travel abroad and wait for a new entry visa to be issued. Any processing delays could impact students’ ability to return to the US as planned,” Elwell said.
The Office of Global Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in an advisory recommended that its “international community-- including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship" strongly consider returning to the US before the presidential inauguration if they are planning on travelling internationally during the winter holiday break.
While noting that this was not a requirement or mandate from UMass, nor was it based on any current US government policy or recommendation, the university added that “given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office (January 20) and based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump administration in 2017", the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution to hopefully prevent any possible travel disruption to members of our international community.
"We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected.”
The Wesleyan Argus, the college newspaper of Wesleyan University, said in a report that the university has been “evaluating the potential future impacts" of the Trump administration on international and undocumented students.
“Much uncertainty surrounds the possible changes to American immigration policy that could be enacted by the Trump administration beginning January 20, 2025.”
The report added that Wesleyan’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) has been “concerned about sweeping policy changes” that could be implemented soon after Trump’s inauguration.
“With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19 and the days thereafter of the spring semester,” an email sent on November 18 to international students studying under the F-1 visa read, according to the Wesleyan Argus report.
Within a week of his first term as president, Trump had in January 2017 signed an executive order banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the US for 90 days, causing massive disruptions among communities and outrage and concerns by civil rights organisations.
