Netanyahu condemns Khashoggi murder but backs stability in Saudi
Varna (Bulgaria) : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in his first comments on the affair, but stressed the need for stability in Saudi Arabia.
"What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with," Netanyahu told reporters during a visit to Bulgaria.
"Yet the same time I say it, it is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable.
"I think that a way must be found to achieve both goals." Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was murdered inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last month, and Turkish officials are still searching for his remains.
After at first denying the murder, Saudi officials eventually admitted he had been killed in the consulate, blaming a "rogue operation" and arresting 18 people.
Riyadh's international standing has been damaged by the affair and the Turkish authorities have made it clear they will keep investigating the matter.
Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but both nations have strong links with the United States -- and all three countries share a common enemy in Iran.
"The larger problem is Iran and we have to make sure that Iran does not continue the malign activities that it has been doing over the last few weeks in Europe," said Netanyahu.
Referring to what he said were two Iran-backed terrorist plots that Israel had helped foil in Europe, he added: "Blocking Iran is uttermost on our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well."
Israel considers Iran to be the main threat to its safety and has backed the United States in its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Netanyahu also called on other countries to support US sanctions against Tehran. New US sanctions go into effect on Monday.
He said sanctions so far had forced a marked decrease in the amounts Iran had devoted to "aggressive and terrorist" activities.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
