Relationship of Friendship : India & Israel
Much awaited visit of India Prime Minister to Israel is going to conclude.First time ever it will happen that head of Indian Republic visting State of Israel.
India and Israel established full diplomatic relationsin 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.
Relations between Jerusalem and New Delhi were not always warm. Although both countries gained their independence from the United Kingdom within months of each other, they found themselves headed in pointedly 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.
It was noted that tourism is also a growing aspect of bilateral relationship.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narenda Modi announced in June 2015 that they will be embarking on a historic visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan in 2015, making them both the first Indian President, and Prime Minister to visit Israel.President Mukherjee visited and delivered a speech at the Knesset.
It is pointed out that economic relations should best be left to the business communities on both the sides. There is a lot of complementarity between both nations’ economic interests.Both sides have faced challenges in the defence sector but this has been an issue on which cooperation has been robust. However, one area that needs attention is coproduction in order to produce cheaper products and to reduce dependency on third actors. The Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missile, developed jointly between India and Israel, was successfully tested.Which will boost Indias power in multifold level.
Military exercises should be incorporated into defence cooperation since Israel has a growing interest in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).The Indian Navy launched a new, Israeli-developed Integrated Under Water Harbour Defence 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.
Pilots from India joined pilots from Israel, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, and Poland in June 2017 for the 2017 Blue Flag exercise, the largest aerial training exercise to ever take place in Israel.
In the area of academics, one issue constraining better relations between Indian and Israeli academics is money. Business communities in both countries should be mobilised to support these types of exchanges.On the Palestinian issue it was noted that there is deterioration in Indian position on this issue. It was pointed out that for Israel the Palestinian issue is secondary and not the main issue. Israel may look with some consternation on India supporting the Palestinians in adopting a unilateral approach. However India may want to act in the UN, Israel has made it clear that they see the UN as a “morally bankrupt institution”. Deliberating on the question of Jerusalem, it was pointed that India should fully understand Israeli sensitivities on this issue when supporting a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel sees Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. Also important is the religious significance the city holds for both Jews and Muslims. This is not a minor issue for Israel; hence, India should be aware of the reaction they will receive from the Israelis on this question.
It is suggested that an Asian alliance comprising India, Israel, South Korea, Japan and Australia could work together to deal with issues including missile defence and piracy. At the global level, the differences in outlook of both nations are evident. India seems more in favour of a multi-polar world while Israel prefers a uni-polar one. But both nations do not want to see a weakened US. In this context it was felt that greater cooperation should be undertaken between Israel and India on Capitol Hill to support lobby groups and educate Americans on issues of concern to both nations.
During the deliberation on the theme of India-Israel bilateral relations between the two countries have been increasing in political, economic and defence sectors. There are vibrant people-to-people interactions, strategic dialogues between the security forces and strategic establishments, among other on-going exchanges between the two countries. Cooperation in science and technology, agriculture, space cooperation among other sectors is also vibrant.
Last week Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved of measures aimed to strengthen the Israel-India relationship.The Israeli cabinet agreed to measures to increase Israel's non-diamond exports to India by 25%, and established a new joint innovation, research, and development fund. The resolutions approved also included incentives to film Bollywood movies in Israel, and plans to increase the number of Indian firms doing business in Israel.
This all givea only one indication by this visit ,the relations will deepen and there would a "re-energisation" of our relationship.
Very good and nifty article shubham :) v hope that bilateral relation will grow further. #shubham thanks for your valuable article
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