New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- Sri Lanka's post-independence development drive, particularly the Mahaweli Development Project, reflected unexpected Israeli influences - from the vision of D.S. Senanayake to the resettlement strategies of the late 20th century. These interactions reshaped the island's socio-ethnic and political landscape in subtle but lasting ways.

In Sri Lanka, the public reaction to the State of Israel has always been a twisted one, mixed with worries triggered by conspiracy theories, false narratives, and various phobic factors. While acknowledging these good, bad, and ugly aspects as dots connected to the same web that encompasses Israel's complex role in modern Sri Lankan political history, it is imperative to examine how Sri ...