Indians are first class citizens in Israel, says Reena Pushkarna the only "Indian" in the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s delegation to New Delhi.

Delhi-born Pushkarna is known as the "curry queen" in Israel for the chain of Indian cuisine restaurants she and her husband has successfully launched in Israel. Her mother is a Jew and her father an Indian Sikh.

She along with her husband, Vend, migrated to Israel two decades ago and "introduced Indian food to Israel".

"Israelis took time to adjust to the food, but once they did there was no looking back. Just like in Britain, chicken tikka masala and Hindi film songs are now almost part of the culture," she told Sify.com.

"Initially I had my apprehensions about Indians being accepted. Given their history, the Israelis take time to open out. But today Indians in Israel are first class citizens. The fact that Indians and the Israelis share the same values in terms of culture and family is responsible for this bonding”.

Also read: India’s Tandoori connection with Israel

She says that her India trip as part of the Israeli Prime Minister’s delegation was “delightful” as it was “unexpected”. She was invited, the Prime Minister Sharon’s office informed her, because “she was the most successful Indian in Israel”.

"I jumped with joy at the chance to come back to my country as part of this delegation to return to the land of my birth."

She talks of another claim to fame. Almost unknown to her, it was in her restaurant “Tandoor” in Tel Aviv in 1992 that the first peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians were held.

“I am proud that India and Indian food played a part in that process of peace. Though, we have a long way to go in bringing the talks, which started on that table, to its conclusion," Pushkarna says.