Modi-Bibi Partnership: Bringing India-Israel Ties Into the Open

PM Modi’s visit to Israel would be high on agenda with both countries looking forward to strong strategic ties.

(Photo: Lijumol Joseph/ The Quint)

Bilateral relations between India and Israel are set to head further north when Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets foot in the Jewish state on 4 July. The symbolism will be enormous, apart from the tangible deliverables. Modi will be the first ever Indian PM to visit Israel since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1992, bringing the strategic relationship forged over the years firmly out of the closet. And rightly so.

The Israeli leadership is ecstatic about the impending trip. An elated Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has already declared, in a special gesture, that he’ll accompany Modi to all events during the trip to his country.

Also Read: Modi Will Become First Indian PM to Visit Israel on 4 July

Walking the Diplomatic Tightrope

More substantially, ahead of the visit, the Israeli cabinet passed a resolution on “strengthening ties”, focusing on key areas such as water, agriculture, health and the like, which India can find useful.

Even after 1992, India of course had reasons for keeping the bilateral relationship largely under wraps. For one, it did not want to risk losing friends in the Arab world.

Moreover, its strong support for the Palestinian cause and domestic political compulsions too ensured the relationship remained shrouded behind a veil. For too long, concedes a top Israeli diplomat, Israel also did not ‘Look East’.

India even now continues to walk the diplomatic tightrope vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine, expressing abiding commitment to the Palestinian cause – but the headwinds have turned in Tel Aviv’s favour since the BJP government took charge in May 2014. Modi’s “historic visit” reflects the tightening embrace between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.

Multi-Dimensional Ties

• India’s bilateral relationship with Israel has been largely under wraps for the risk of losing friends in the Arab world.
  
• 2015-16 marked India’s departure from its previous position when New Delhi abstained from voting on international resolutions critical of Israel.
  
• PM Modi’s visit expected to deepen cooperation in sectors like agriculture, water, science and technology.
  
• With his ‘Make in India’ mantra, PM Modi would be hoping to push Israeli defence companies for joint ventures with Indian counterparts.
  
• Apart from cooperation in science and counter-terrorism, India would seek assistance in schemes like ‘Smart Cities’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Clean Ganga’.
  

Elevation of Ties

In 2015-16, in a marked departure from its previous position where New Delhi would vote in favour of resolutions supporting Palestine, India chose to abstain from backing resolutions critical of Israel at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and UNESCO.

In 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee also became the first Indian head of state to visit the Jewish state, which was followed by a visit by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016.

Cooperation between the two countries now straddles a wide array of sectors in what can be described as a “multi-dimensional partnership”. Therefore, the elevation of ties to the level of a ‘strategic partnership’, which is on the anvil during the PM’s visit, is but natural. This pact is expected to further deepen on-going cooperation in sectors like agriculture, water, science and technology.

Also Read: Netanyahu to Modi: People of Israel are Waiting for Your Visit

Defence Co-operation

Defence, of course, remains the cornerstone of bilateral ties. But it is not expected to be part of the rubicon of this strategic pact. However, there is no gainsaying the fact that it’s a sector where ties have been flourishing and Israel now counts itself among the top three suppliers of military hardware and software to India, with the other two being Russia and the US.

Over the last decade-and-a-half, Israeli arms companies have bagged lucrative Indian defence deals and projects worth well over $10 billion, ranging from Barak anti-missile defence systems to Phalcon AWACS. Modi, with his ‘Make in India’ mantra, will certainly be hoping to push for Israeli defence companies to forge joint ventures with Indian companies.

The push in the defence sector, apart from meeting India’s requirements, also comes from the fact that New Delhi sees in Tel Aviv a reliable partner in making available urgently needed defence equipment as it did during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Earlier, during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971, the then Israeli PM Golda Meir secretly came to India’s aid with ammunition even though the two countries had no diplomatic relations then.

Also Read: Israel Inks $2 Bn Missile Deal for Indian-Made Aircraft Carrier

Drawing Investments

The convergence in strategic interests also encompasses cooperation in the counter-terrorism arena, with the two countries having inked a pact for Cooperation in Homeland Security and Public Security in 2014. New Delhi will be seeking to further its cooperation with Tel Aviv on intelligence-sharing and counter-terrorism during the visit.

Modi’s visit will have a strong economic content with bilateral trade having increased rapidly from $200 million in 1992 to $4.16 billion in 2016. As much as 54 percent of the bilateral trade is in diamonds.

With the balance of trade being in favour of Israel, India will be seeking to address the imbalance as well as diversification of the trade basket.

India will also be seeking to draw more Israeli investments to the country. Indian companies too have been making significant investments in Israel with IT majors Wipro, Infosys and Tec Mahindra making substantial investments there.

Scientific Assistance

An arid country with 60 percent of its land area being desert, Israel has developed and mastered scientific technology in agriculture and water. India can put this Israeli know-how to good use. Already, Israel is assisting nine Indian states to set up ‘centres for excellence’ to help farmers improve the quality and quantity of their produce.

With its increasing need for clean drinking water, India stands to benefit from Israeli top-notch technology for desalination and water supply systems. Already, states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are drawing the benefits from the Israeli expertise in these sectors.

Modi will be hoping to get Israeli assistance in some of his government’s flagship initiatives like ‘Smart Cities’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Clean Ganga’.

The Modi-Netanyahu strategic bear-hug can only get tighter from here.

Also Read: India’s Israel Relationship Hasn’t Compromised Its Palestine Ties

(The writer is a senior Delhi-based journalist. She can be reached @ParulChandraP. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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