INDIA AND ISRAEL – A DELAYED BUT FRUITFUL FRIENDSHIP

 

 

India and Israel gained their independence from the United Kingdom within months of each other. From Morocco and Algeria in the west Indonesia and Malaysia in the east these are the only two non-Muslim countries, tormented by terrorism thriving in their neighborhood and should have been natural allies right from the word go. But such was the tryst of destiny that they found themselves headed in different directions for nearly four decades – India as a leader in the Non-Aligned Movement that maintained close relations to the Arab world and the Soviet Union; Israel which linked its future to close ties with the United States and Western Europe.

 

Our policy makers in the first four decades following independence felt that India’s large Muslim population was a major obstacle to building a relationship with Israel. Close relations with the Jewish State might somehow alienate and even radicalize our Muslim citizens, hurt their sentiments and those of the Arab world, they felt. This is just one of the countless minority appeasement policies of our predecessors, which kept us away from an intelligent, hard working and sincere bunch of people, who were progressing fast, and punching well above their weight.

 

Diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and New Delhi were established in 1992 and since then the bilateral relationship between the two countries has blossomed at the economic, military, agricultural and political levels. Both countries see themselves as isolated democracies threatened by neighbors that train, finance and encourage terrorism, therefore both countries also view their cooperative relationship as a strategic imperative.

 

It was not that before 1992 the two countries were not in talking terms. India just didn’t want to be seen talking and befriending Israel. India extended de-jure recognition to Israel in 1950 and allowed Israel to maintain a consulate in Mumbai to facilitate the voluntary immigration of thousands of Indian Jews to Israel. Many Indians have also traveled to Israel for special courses and training in agricultural technology and community development. Israeli supplied weapons aided India in winning the Kargil War against Pakistan in 1999. And following a devastating earthquake in 2001, Israel sent an IDF emergency response delegation to India for two weeks to provide humanitarian relief and treatment for the victims.

 

After 1992 both countries have benefited immensely from our increased mutual cooperation. India has become one of Israel’s largest trading partners, many of the world’s leading high-tech companies in Israel and India are forging joint ventures that are successfully competing in the tough international marketplace. Israel-India trade in 1992 amounted to $200 million; the figure was $4.13 billion in 2016. Israel exported $1.15 billion worth of goods to India in 2016, not including diamonds, amounting to 2.5% of Israel’s total exports for the year. In FY 2022-23, Indian merchandise exports to Israel was US$ 7.89 billion and Israeli exports to India was US $ 2.13 billion. In addition, bilateral trade in services stands at USD 1.1 billion. One only wonders where these figures would have been if we established diplomatic relations immediately after our independence.

 

During the visit of President Joe Biden to Israel in July 2022, the first leaders’ summit among Israel, India, the United States, and the UAE was held virtually. This I2U2 group agreed to deepen the economic ties between the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, to create new partnerships to tackle global challenges, like food insecurity and clean energy technology. Both bilateral and multi-lateral collaborations between our countries are proving to be strategically crucial for both of us.

 

Military collaboration

India is the number one export target of Israel’s defense industries. In the decade spanning from the year 2000 to 2010, the bilateral defense trade was estimated to be around $10 billion. In November 2011, India’s elite Cobra Commando unit bought more than 1,000 units of the Israeli X-95 assault rifle to use in counterinsurgency operations. Since then we have purchased Israeli Phalcon AWACS planes (airborne warning and control systems) which are capable of detecting hostile aircraft, cruise missiles, and other incoming aerial threats far before ground-based radars. We have also procured Sword Fish ground radar trackers, precision-guided artillery, and Spike anti-tank guided missiles and missile launchers from Israel and. Python and Derby missiles, that comprise the SPYDER system, which also features an onboard radar for increased offence accuracy.

 

Israel Aerospace Industries successfully tested a jointly developed Indian-Israeli Barak 8 air and naval defense missile system on November 10, 2014. Having successfully collaborated in high-profile areas to develop Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) and Long-Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM), both countries have also ventured into the domain of space. For instance, in 2008, India successfully launched an Israeli reconnaissance satellite TecSAR-1 in exchange for an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) installed on India’s RISAT-2 (Radar Imaging Satellite with all-weather capability). In 2018, both countries signed an agreement to collaborate in Electric Propulsion Systems (EPS) areas for small satellites, atomic clocks and GEO-LEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit-Low Earth Orbit) Optical Link. Thus, from sales of weapons to technology transfer and from research and development to Joint Ventures (JVs), both countries have swiftly upgraded their relationship to strategic levels. 

 

The Indian Navy launched a new, Israeli-developed Integrated Under Water Harbor Defense and Surveillance System (IUHDSS), in February 2017. The system will enhance the security of above and below-water vehicles operated by the Indian Navy in the Mumbai Naval Harbor. The two navies regularly do joint naval exercises as is the practice with the two armies as well. In October 2022, India’s Centum Electronics Ltd. and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop an electronic warfare system for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

 

The Indian military deployed an Israeli-developed comprehensive integrated border management system (CIBMS) along its border with Pakistan in August 2017. The fence will be monitored by sensors and security cameras and will alert people in monitoring facilities when a breach has occurred. Indian officials announced plans to seal all of their 6,300km borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh with the Israeli smart-fence.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security service recruited 30 dogs from Israel in 2017, trained to attack, sniff for bombs and drugs, and track criminals.

 

Agricultural cooperation

The two nations started a $50 million shared agriculture fund, focusing on dairy, farming technology and micro-irrigation. In 2011, India and Israel signed an agreement to foster cooperation on urban water systems, which came after more than a decade of joint research, development and shared investment in the countries’ respective water technologies.

 

Israel helps India diversify and raise the yield of its fruit and vegetable crops under the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project, by offering the country its advanced technology and know-how. Vertical farming, drip irrigation, and soil solarization are some of the Israeli research that is being taught to Indian farmers in 28 centres of excellence across India. Farming at these centers focuses on mangoes, tomatoes, pomegranates, and citrus fruits. Israeli and Indian farmers are also collaborating in the field of growing and marketing flowers, beekeeping, and dairying.

 

A shared future

Our two countries are poised to improve economic, technological, military and agricultural collaboration in the future. The two governments signed an agreement to create the India Israel Innovation Initiative fund (I4F) on July 5, 2017, modeled after the US-Israel BIRD foundation. The two countries pledged $4 million per year each to I4F over a five-year period. The Israeli National Emergency Medical Service, MDA-Magen David Adom (Hebrew for Red Star of David) and the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), held a joint training program during July 2017 aimed at improving and upgrading the IRCS first-responder skills

 

A poignant and sensitive history

When the horrors of the Holocaust and WW II unfolded in Europe, Gen Władysław Sikorski–the first Prime Minister of the Polish Goverment-in-Exile and Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces–requested British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to protect the starving young children who were the ‘treasure of Poland’.Churchill didn’t oblige but Maharaja ‘Jam Sahib’ Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Jamnagar (Nawanagar) of Gujarat gladly did. Around 1200 orphaned Polish children for whom he was ‘Bapu’ (Father) during the Great War years of 1942-1947 never forgot “the good King” who created Little Poland for them and their parents in his Kingdom in Gujarat and in neighbouring Maharashtra – because he had the power and position to do so; and the humanism. There are almost 85,000 Israeli Jews of Indian descent. India is the only country where anti-Semitism has never been allowed to come up, where Jews have never suffered and lived as an integral part of our society. We should be telling the world proudly about the rich Jewish life in India and the two countries can work towards preserving the Jewish heritage in India. 

An estimated 70,000 Hindus in the Indian city of Kolkata marched in support of Israel on February 14, 2018. The rally was organized by the Indian organization Hindu Samhati, which promotes close India-Israel relations and provides services to poor Indians. Hindu Samhati organized a similar, 20,000-strong rally in support of Israel during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Bollywood movies are very popular in Israel and the producers are incentivized to showcase Israel in their movies. It seems with changing time, and with a different government, India – Israel relations have turned a decisive corner and we can look ahead to all round development in our mutual relations – government to government, military to military, industry to industry and people to people.