INTRODUCTION
Last July, Narendra Modi has become the first Indian
Prime Minister to visit Israel. This has become a talking point in both the
countries whose relations are rapidly strengthening as time moves on. The
identity of minds, various geo-political factors and perception of a common
enemy have led to cementing of friendship between the two countries. We will
now try to analyse the history of Indo-Israel ties and various areas of
bilateral co-operation.
THE
HISTORY OF INDO-ISRAEL TIES
Indian government’s historical outlook towards the Jewish
state has roots in India’s freedom struggle. The perception about the Jewish
claims were first formed during the Khilafat movement which was considered as an
opportunity to forge the Hindu-Muslim unity, but proved counter-productive in
the long run reading to the Partition. The Congress party opposed the formation
of Israel as it rejected the notion that religion being a basis of nationhood.
The position of the Congress was ironic since it was the
same party under Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru which accepted and facilitated the
communal partition of India.[1] India voted against
Israel’s admission to the UN in 1949. In the meanwhile, it was the Hindu
nationalist leaders like Veer Savarkar and Guruji Golwalkar who supported the
creation of the Jewish state.[2]
1
First
Phase (1950s-1992) – The Era of Non-relations.
The times from 1950s to 1990s can be described as the phase
of No official relations between India and Israel. India supported the
Palestinian cause and never wanted to anger the Arab nations on whom it was
dependent on for satisfying its ever-growing demand for oil and the Indian
Muslim minority. It is a sad fact that India’s West Asia policy was for more
than six decades hostage to the vote-bank politics.[3] At the same time,
clandestine relations were formed with Israel mainly on military and
intelligence fronts.[4]
The stand against Israel was short-sighted and
self-defeating. Inspite of repeated support to the Palestinian cause, the Arab
nations never failed to support Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and India’s
gestures of friendship were never reciprocated. The fact that Arab support to
Pakistan was based on religious solidarity was now clear to India. The feeling
of betrayal by the Arab world, the rise of Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) in Indian politics and powerful lobbying by the Indian Americans provided
stimulus for major changes in India’s foreign policy along with the.[5][6]
By 1991, the global political scenario had underwent a rapid
change with the collapse of the Soviet Union. India, under the leadership of
then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao decided to end the era of non-relations
with Israel by finally establishing the formal relations in 1992.
2.
Second
Phase (1992-2004) – Expanding ties and Parallel Track Policy.
This period saw forging of India’s ties with Israel and
maintaining healthy relations with Palestine at the same time. Even the arrival
of BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari
Vajpayee didn’t result in much change in this traditional policy. At the same
time, he rolled out a red-carpet to his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon in
2003, ignoring the protests by the leftist and Muslim groups in the country.[7]
Indo-Israel relations expanded rapidly during this period.
It is noteworthy to note that Israel was the only country to praise India for
its nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998.[8] The military ties also
emerged stronger than ever with the vital help being provided by the Jewish
state during the Kargil War, enabling the Indian Army to re-capture Tiger Hill.[9]
Still, all the major Indian engagements to Israel were preceded or accompanied
by high-profile visits to Palestine. In other words, a “diplomatic balance" was
maintained.[10]
3.
Third
Phase – Delinking Israeli relations from Palestinian issues.
This phase started with the United Progressive Alliance
government with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh separating the relations
with Israel from the its Palestinian policy. It was during this time, many
defence deals were made including the tie-up with Israel Aerospace Industries
Ltd in 2007.[11]
It is noteworthy to mention that RISAT-2 was developed by Israel.[12] This helped both the countries to maintain healthy
relations despite India's repeated strong condemnations of Israeli military
actions in Palestinian territories, which are believed by analysts to be motivated by the UPA
government's desire for Muslim votes in India.[13]
4.
Fourth
Phase – “Constructive Engagement” – The Rise of Narendra Modi[14]
The accession of Prime Minister Narendra Modi signalled the
departure of traditional policy with regard to India’s Middle East policy. The
shift became clear when India abstained from multiple resolutions against
Israel during this period. Modi’s engagements with Saudi Arabia, Iran and UAE
signals the paradigm shift. As P.R. Kumaraswamy puts it, “Earlier India had to
accommodate the Arab-Islamic opposition to normalisation of relations with
Israel, but now it is the other way around.”
Thanks to Prime Minister Modi’s diplomacy and India’s growing
political clout, the Indo-Israel relations now flourishes not only on military
and strategic ties, but also bilateral trade, collaboration in the fields of
science and technology, agriculture, space, cultural ties, interfaith relations
and tourism.
CONCLUSION
An old proverb says, “A
friend in deed is a friend indeed.” Israel is the only country in the world
to have supported India in the international arena along with its critical help
during India’s multiple wars. In return, India is the only country in the world
where the Jews have lived for more than two millennia without a single instance of
discrimination from the majority community. Let us learn our own lessons from
Israel’s spirited, glorious and victorious struggle for survival among the
hostile neighbours.
I sincerely hope that India and Israel cement their alliance
of minds on the ancient historical and cultural associations between this great
lands and continue to prosper together.
[2] Abhyankar, Rajendra (March 2012). "The
Evolution and Future of India-Israel Relations" (PDF).
The S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies. Retrieved 6
November 2015.
[3] Aafreedi, Navras (2012). "The
Impact of Domestic Politics on India's Attitudes towards Israel and Jews". In
Singh, Priya; Susmita, Bhattacharya. Perspectives on West Asia: The
Evolving Geopolitical Discourses. Shipra Publications.
pp. 171–183. ISBN 9788175416376.
[5] http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-india-israel-alliance-part-1-the-arab-world/
(accessed at 21:56, 23-8-2017).
[6] http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-india-israel-alliance-part-ii-a-steady-forging-of-ties-from-1992-to-2000/ (accessed at 22:06, 23-8-2017).
[9] http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/israeli-help-and-indian-jugaad-in-recapture-of-tiger-hill-4735806/ (accessed at 22:25, 23-8-2017)
[11] "IAI signs $2.5 billion deal
with India - Israel Business, Ynetnews". Ynetnews.com. 1995-06-20.
Retrieved 2012-11-09.
[12] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Military-surveillance-gets-a-boost-with-RISAT-2/articleshow/4426913.cms (accessed at 22:46, 23-8-2017).
[13] Suroor, Hasan (15 March 2011). "West Asia policy hostage to
‘Muslim vote'". The Hindu. Retrieved October 7, 2012
