New Delhi, Jan 24 (Reporter) Senior Indian diplomat Jitender Pal Singh, who acted as an important point of contact between India and the Taliban regime in Kabul, has been appointed as India's ambassador to Israel, seen as an important posting amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. An Indian Foreign Service officer of 2002 batch, JP Singh was serving as Joint Secretary in the important Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk at the Ministry of External Affairs. "He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the MEA said in a statement. The Israeli Ambassador in New Delhi, Reuven Azar, welcomed the appointment, with a post on X: “Delighted to see such a talented & senior diplomat coming to Israel. Looking forward to working with you JP Singh!” Singh, who previously served in Pakistan as Deputy High Commissioner from 2014 and 2019 where he had to manage the tense ties, proved his acumen in building bridges with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after they took over Kabul in August 2021. His low-profile visits to Afghanistan helped India reach out to the Taliban regime, especially his November 2024 visit when he me with the Taliban Acting Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, in Kabul. This set up the framework for the Dubai meeting earlier this month when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held talks with the Afghan Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi – in what is so far the highest-level official meeting between India and the Taliban regime in Kabul. Singh’s posting to Israel comes amid the festering Middle East conflict, where despite the Gaza ceasefire, the situation could spark off any moment, leading to major escalation...////...