Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to light a torch alongside Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar at Israel's so-called 'Independence Day' celebrations next year.
The occasion marks what Palestinians call the Nakba, or "Catastrophe", when Zionist militias carried out mass expulsions of Palestinians to create the state of Israel.
In a post on social media on Thursday, Netanyahu said he had spoken to Modi by phone as he sought to emphasise ties between the two countries.
"I spoke with my friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and invited him to light the torch alongside a brave Indian pilot on Israel's Independence Day," said Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
“Modi thanked me for the invitation and said that on the ground and in the air, India and Israel fight terrorism together,” he added.
Modi also acknowledged the conversation on X, saying the two leaders had "reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening our partnership".
"We also exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia and underscored the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region," he added.
Netanyahu's invitation to Machchhar follows his earlier praise for the pilot, who was injured while trying to stop a co-pilot from allegedly attempting to crash a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month.
Machchhar has been hailed as a hero for his role in helping avert disaster aboard the flight.
UAE prosecutors have described the co-pilot’s actions as an attempted suicide attack, with the suspect allegedly intending to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport.
The suspect, an Omani national, was transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where flydubai is based.
Netanyahu previously described Machchhar as "a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel".
Israel observes its 'Independence Day' in May—the same month in which Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, when at least 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland.
More than 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed or ethnically cleansed, with many subsequently renamed with Hebrew place names.