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Dateline: Middle East
Volume 25 • Winter 2008
Published by The Student Coalition for a Just Peace in the Middle East

ON INDIA-ISRAEL RELATIONS
Rebecca Katz

India and Israel are similar in several important ways. Like modern Israel, India was created from a British colonial possession just after the Second World War. Like modern Israel, India’s independence was marred by communal conflicts which erupted at the end of British rule. Finally, the creation of India and Israel also entailed the creation of corresponding neighbouring states in an attempt to avoid further conflicts. These
attempts—the creation of Pakistan and the rejected plans for partitioning Palestine into one Jewish and one Arab state—were but partially successful. Pakistan, like the Palestinian territories has, unfortunately, become a fertile breeding ground for Islamic fundamentalist groups. Nevertheless, despite consistent conflicts with
militant groups in neighbouring countries, India and Israel have achieved commendable success in sixty-odd years of independence, and have become major powers in their respective regions.

Given these similarities, one might think that Israel and India would have developed close ties years ago. However, this was actually not the case. According to the web site of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel and India only established full diplomatic relations in 1992. Before then, India-Israel ties were limited. There are a number of reasons for this seemingly counter-intuitive trend. For much of its history, Indian politicians tried to cultivate good relations with the Arab world, the Soviet Union and India’s own large Muslim minority. These factors delayed the establishment of cordial relations between India and Israel: in 1948, India voted against Israel‘s creation, and, since then, often voted against Israel in various UN resolutions.

Recently, India and Israel have begun an important rapprochement. The collapse of the Soviet Union (and India’s resulting strategic turn towards a more solidly pro-Western foreign policy) and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism prompted a dramatic shift in Indian attitudes towards Israel. Since the 1990s,
India and Israel have strengthened political and economic ties. Numerous Israeli politicians, including Ariel Sharon, have visited India—just as Israel has hosted various Indian statesmen.

India is now one of the largest importers of Israeli military technology, and can benefit greatly from Israeli experience fighting terrorist organizations. Furthermore, many (though, of course, not all) members of the Indian diaspora seem to feel a kinship with Israel and, indeed, everyone who realizes that a “war on terror” is
necessary. This is certainly understandable in light of the Mumbai terrorist bombings of late 2008, as well as the many other terrorist attacks India has suffered. It is not surprising that a recent Toronto demonstration in support of Israel’s Gaza offensive was partly organized by a conservative Hindu group, the Canadian
Hindu Advocacy.

Unfortunately, India is still reluctant to reverse its previous Israel policies completely. For example, during the Gaza conflict, Indian officials condemned Hamas’ provocation of Israel, but also condemned Israel‘s “disproportionate” actions. This attitude may be the result of a reluctance to antagonize the Muslim world too
much.

Nevertheless, India and Israel have compelling reasons to work together, and the two countries have already demonstrated their willingness to increase cooperation a great deal. Israeli and diaspora Jewish leaders should keep these facts in mind, and should actively seek to strengthen our ties to India.

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