The delegation of the Indian Muslim leaders visiting Israel, witnessed rocket attacks from Gaza during their visit to the southern city of Sderot and had to be rushed to a shelter house.
JERUSALEM: The delegation of the Indian Muslim leaders visiting Israel, witnessed rocket attacks from Gaza during their visit to the southern city of Sderot and had to be rushed to a shelter house.
"We heard a warning shot which was followed by a siren. We were immediately rushed to a shelter house where we heard the sound of a rocket attack," a member of the delegation said after the attack which took place on Monday.
The delegation is visiting the country on the invitation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Australian Israel Jewish Affairs Council.
The AJC and the AIJAC had arranged a trip to the southern city for the delegation, which came under Palestinian rocket attacks.
At a press conference in Jerusalem, the Indian Muslim leaders and chief Ashkenazi and Shephardi chief Rabbis, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar, pledged to continue with efforts to further Muslim-Jewish dialogue to facilitate the peace process in Middle East.
"India being a prominent Muslim country with 180 million Muslim population and a tradition of peaceful co-existence can play as a bridge between Jews and other Muslim countries as well," Metzger said.
Indian Muslim leaders said that they won't be deterred by the criticisms against their visit to Israel and would continue to strive for harmonious Jewish-Muslim relations.
"The process we started earlier this year in Delhi will continue despite all the protests. We know that the path is difficult but we will not bow down," Maulana Umair Iliyasi, General Secretary of All India Organisation of Imam of Mosques, said.
The Indian delegation's Israel visit follows a trip to India earlier this year by Jewish rabbis for an inter-faith meeting.
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