A PRAGMATIC

ALIANCE
India finds common
ground with Israel

Avi Ohayon/GPO/FLASH90

BY JULIE LENARZ

Not since Queen Esther ruled over 127 countries, meHodu ad Kush from
India to Ethiopia has India been an ally to the Jewish Nation.
Until now. What changed? What led up to the new Israel-India alliance?
The bilateral relationship between Israel and India is moving forward. The
highly visible visit to Israel by Indias head of state, Pranab Mukherjee, in
October 2015 and the planned visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
later this year reflect this development. The structural change in Indias foreign
policy is the product of shifting domestic and international concerns.
FEATURES March 23, 2016

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with Israel, particularly in the field of agriculture and water manageistorically, the relationship between Israel and India has
ment. Israel took an interest in Modis tough stance on radical Islam
been frosty. India recognized the State of Israel in Septemand saw possibilities of collaboration in the fight against extremism.
ber 1950, but no consulate was established in the country
The BJPs support for Israel continued over the years and it was during
until 1953. The first Israeli embassy on Indian soil only
the last BJP coalition government that Indias foreign affairs minister
opened its gates in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were estabvisited Israel in 2000 and Ariel Sharon became the first Israeli prime
lished.
minister to visit India in 2003.
Indias hesitation to engage freely with the Jewish state was
Unsurprisingly, Modis election as prime minister was received
grounded in a range of political and ideological considerations. With
with great enthusiasm in Israel. While Western governments still hes180 million people, India is home to the third-largest Muslim populaitated to meet with the controversial new leader, Israel embraced Modi
tion in the world and, although Muslims in India do not feel as strongly
with open arms. A series of high-level engagements followed, includabout Israel as do Muslims in the Arab world, subsequent governments
ing phone calls and face-to-face conversations between Netanyahu
were determined to avoid unrest within Indias borders. In the name
and Modi in New York and Paris. The relationship is likely to continue
of appeasement, they supported the interests of the Palestinian leadto move forward. President Rivlin and both prime ministers have all
ership in international forums. More importantly, however, Indias
indicated their desire to visit each others country soon, likely before
reservation was a reflection of the countrys colonial past and its relaJanuary 2017 when Israel and India mark 25 years of full diplomatic
tionship with the Soviet Union. Upgrading ties with Israel, perceived
relations.
as a gateway to the West and particularly to the United States, would
have mobilized anti-imperialist movements and jeopardized relations
with Moscow. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet regime provided
Bilateral Benefits
patronage to Israels enemies in the Middle East; until the collapse of
Prima facie, the Indian giant and the tiny Jewish state might
the Soviet Union, pragmatism prevented
not have a lot in common, but a look beyond
India from challenging the status quo.
the surface reveals that the two countries
As India reassessed its foreign policy
have much to gain from each other and seem
MODI HAS BEEN
in view of the fall of the Soviet Union, it
ready to reap the rewards of their multi-facA LONG-STANDING
also reconsidered its relationship with
eted partnership in areas such as defense,
Israel. Several benefits that had inhibited
counter-extremism, technology, agriculture
SUPPORTER OF THE
improving relations with the Jewish state
and science. While India is keen to diversiJEWISH STATE. HE FIRST
had disappeared and the change in the
fy its defense suppliers to move away from
international landscape paved the way for
dependence on Russia and gain access to
VISITED THE COUNTRY
an Indo-Israeli strategic alliance. Morethe worlds leading technology, Israel can
over, these events coincided with the rise
profit immensely from access to the Indian
IN 2006 AND, UPON HIS
of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the
market. Moreover, both countries perceive
RETURN TO INDIA, BEGAN
Indian political system. The BJP, with
themselves as democracies under threat by
its Hindu nationalist outlook, perceived
hostile neighbors and see commonalities in
TO ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE
Israel as a natural ally in the fight against
their commitment to democratic governance
PARTNERSHIPS WITH
radical Islam, a central component in
at a time when India and Israel are struggling
the ongoing conflict between India and
with the breakup of old allegiances and conISRAEL, PARTICULARLY
neighboring Pakistan. Indias political
cerns about isolation from the international
IN THE FIELD OF
establishment had grown increasingly
community.
frustrated over the lack of Arab support
Trade and economic relations have develAGRICULTURE AND WATER
in the resolution of problems the counoped and diversified rapidly since the 1990s.
try faced in the region, such as Kashmir.
In 1992, bilateral trade between the two counMANAGEMENT.
When India established full diplomatic
tries was worth $200 million, comprising
relations with Israel in 1992,
mostly diamonds. Today, it stands
Indias foreign affairs minisin excess of $5 billion, excluding
ter commented: What have
defense contracts.
the Arabs given us?
Indo-Israeli collaboration in
Since the 1990s, the
the defense sector is particulardepth and visibility of relaly strong and established. Israel
tions between Israel and
now ranks number three among
India have varied depending
Indias top arms suppliers after
on the policies of the differRussia and the United States,
ent Indian administrations.
with annual contracts worth
For over two decades, the
$1 billion. Israels technology is
partnership had largely been
designed for hostile neighbora quiet affair, but since the
hoods, a quality that perfectly fits
landslide victory of Modis
Indias needs.
BJP in May 2014, the relaIn February 2015, Israeli
tionship between the two
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon
countries has enjoyed great
visited India, during which the
public exposure.
two countries set the agenda for
Modi
has
been
a
bilateral military deals worth
long-standing
supporthundreds of millions each. Last
er of the Jewish state. He
month, it was reported that India
first visited the country in
and Israel are close to concludAmos Ben Gershom/GPO
2006 and, upon his return
ing multiple defense contracts
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu with Indian
to India, began to activecollectively worth around $3 bilPrime Minister Narendra Modi, November 30, 2015.
ly encourage partnerships
lion, awaiting the final approval

22

A Pragmatic Alliance

13 Adar II 5776

from Indias Cabinet Committee on Security

(CCS).
Products supplied by Israel range from
Aerostat and Green Pine radars to Barak
anti-missile defense systems, Phalcon
AWACS and Searcher and Heron UAVs. In
addition, the government in New Delhi has
finally approved the deal to purchase Spike
anti-tank missiles for its navy. The Israeli air
force chief as well as the chief of the Israeli
navy visited India in 2015 to help facilitate
the contracts.
Indias trust in Israels defense sector has
built over the years. According to a statement
made by Indias president during his historic
visit to Israel in October 2015, Israel has provided defense equipment, platforms and systems at a time when India needed them the
most. Israels military assistance goes back
to Indias 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan,
but Mukherjee was specifically referring to
events in 1999 when, during the Kargil crisis,
Israel rushed emergency weapon supplies to
India.
The successful collaboration has spilled
into other sectors, and the two countries enjoy
close cooperation in the fields of agriculture
and technology. Areas of particular concern
for India, in some of which Israel has significant expertise, are food security and rural
development. The flagship program of the
two countries is The Centers of Excellence
hubs for a scientific approach to farming.
Under a joint action plan for 20122015, Israel agreed to build 30 such centers across nine
Indian states, each helping tens of thousands
of Indian farmers to maximize and sustain
their productivity with modern Israeli technology.
Besides cooperation in the defense and
agricultural sectors, Israel has become Indias
leading partner in clean technologies and
water management. Indias limited water
resources are pushed to the brink by rapid
industrialization and population growth,
which could see 200 million Indians without
access to clean water by the year 2025. Israel, exposed to a similarly harsh topography
as India, has earned a worldwide reputation
for its pioneering work in water management
and has advised India on how to use sea water
reserves to meet their freshwater demands.
Israeli company IDE has built several desalination plants across India.

Palestinian Paradox
Stronger

relations between the two

countries, in recognition of

increasingly
overlapping interests, have raised questions
over Indias traditional support for the Palestinian cause and its relationship with Arab
countries. So far, however, the forging of closer and more open ties with Israel has not been
accompanied by a significant shift in Indias
position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Modi government has maintained
Indias support for the two-state solution
with eastern Yerushalayim as the capital of an
FEATURES March 23, 2016

independent Palestinian state and regularly

refers to the state of Palestine as opposed
to what is officially known as the Palestinian
Authority. On occasions he met with Netanyahu in New York and Paris, Modi also had
meetings with Mahmoud Abbas. In addition,
India held its first round of Foreign Office consultations with the Palestinians in May 2015
and the Indian president became the first
head of state to stay overnight in Ramallah.
During the Gaza crisis in summer 2014,
the Modi government initially tried to avoid
taking a stance altogether, but eventually
backed the Egyptian-led ceasefire initiative
and issued a statement calling for both sides
to exercise restraint. There is absolutely no
change in Indias policy towards Palestine,
which is that we fully support the Palestinian
cause while maintaining good relations with
Israel, Indias foreign affairs minister said at
the time.
But after increased pressure from the
opposition in parliament, the Modi government abandoned its policy of equidistance
and voted in support of the U.N. Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution that
condemned only Israel when it also had the
option to abstain. India has also continued
to vote alongside the BRICS countries (acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa) in support of the Palestinian cause
and voted in favor of the Palestinian flag being
raised at the U.N.
Since then, however, the Modi government
has moved toward a more neutral position
again. When, in July 2015, the UNHRC voted
on a report condemning Israeli actions in Gaza
in the summer of 2014, India abstained. Indian
diplomats justified the move as a reflection of
Indias lack of recognition for the International Criminal Court (ICC) mentioned in the resolution, but India on occasion voted in favor of
similar resolutions in the past. While the Palestinian ambassador to India described the
decision as shocking and as a departure
from Indias traditional position as a result
of its burgeoning military relationship with
Israel, the Israeli political establishment and
media widely hailed the move as an encouraging sign for Indo-Israeli relations.
At first glance, Indias policy might appear
riddled with contradictions, but New Delhis
approach toward the Israel-Palestine conflict
is a deliberate and calculated act to maintain
the countrys traditional balance in international diplomacy, while at the same time
responding to shifting domestic and international concerns. The move can also be seen as
a sign of Indias increased independence as
an emerging superpower that feels less pressure to please its allies and more freedom to
take care of its own needs. The message India
is sending out to Israelis and Palestinians is
clear: Neither of the two will have a veto over
Indias relationship with the other.
Israels ambassador in India believes the
two-track policy will not stand in the way
of the rapidly progressing Indo-Israeli rela-

High-Profile Interactions
(2014present)
May 2014: Netanyahu-Modi
phone call
July 2014: Indias defense minister visits Israel
September 2014: Netanyahu and
Modi meet at the U.N. in New York
October 2014: Israeli and Indian
foreign affairs ministers meet in New
York
November 2014: Indian interior
minister visits Israel
November 2014: Former Israeli
President Peres meets Modi in India
January 2015: Israeli agricultural
minister visits India
February 2015: Israeli defense
minister visits India
March 2015: Rivlin and Modi
meet in Singapore
April 2015: Netanyahu-Modi
phone call
July 2015: Netanyahu-Modi
phone call
August 2015: Israeli navy chief
visits Israel
October 2015: First visit of an
Indian president to Israel
November 2015: Israeli air force
chief visits India
November 2015: Netanyahu and
Modi meet in Paris
January 2016: Indian foreign
affairs minister visits Israel
tionship. In an interview with Indian media,
Daniel Carmon explained that we have many
more areas in which we agree and many more
areas in which the joint interests and the
joint challenges, especially terrorism, but not
only terrorism, are overriding all the rest.
There is no reason India should not succeed in an undertaking in which others have
succeeded before. International institutions,
such as the European Union, and even some
of the Arab states like Egypt and Jordan, have
maintained their commitment to the Palestinian cause while, to varying degrees, cultivating their relationship with Israel.
A thriving, longterm Indo-Israeli partnership is likely to materialize. Israel has much to
offer in the areas of defense, agriculture and
technology at a time when Indias traditional
Arab allies are losing influence in the international arena. Indias Hindu majority feels
no animosity toward the Jewish people, and
the country stands out as one of the worlds
least receptive to anti-Semitism. Israel and
India face the same threats and share similar
values, and ultimately this may result in an
ever-closer allegiance. n
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