#171: India-Israel ties | GS2 IR Notes

3 min read

Hamas attacked Israel from multiple routes on last day of Jew holy festival.

Indian PM has issued a strong statement calling it a terrorist attack

Israel is retaliating. This post is not about Israel or Hamas.

This post is about India-Israel ties

Post Independence years

JLN and Gandhi supported Palestinian cause as they rejected the idea of two nations based on religion.

Duo expressed sympathy for the Jews but did not side on ‘state based on religious exclusivity.’ In their opinion, such a state could not sustain moral and political grounds.

This position was also guided by consensus in Arab World, NAM and UNO.

• India voted against partition of Palestine in UNO

• India voted against Israel’s admission to UNO

• India recognized Israel on Sept 17, 1950 (Trivia: PM Modi was born on this date) and this was after Turkey and Iran had done so!

• 1953: Israel opened a consulate in Mumbai but diplomatic presence only in 1992

• India was one of last non-Muslim states to recognize Israel, it was first non-Arab state to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization

Indira and Rajiv years

1980: Indira Gandhi returned as PM and continued support to PLO

1983: NAM summit in India came up with a strong statement of solidarity for Palestine

PM Rajiv Gandhi continued his support for Palestine

Ground shift moments

• 1962 war: Arab word neutral

• 1965 & 1971 wars: Arab world extended support to Pakistan

• 1962 & 1965 wars: Israel helps India with arms & ammunition

• 1990: PLO supports Saddam Hussain as Iraq invaded Kuwait losing political leverage

• 1990s: Soviet weakening pushes India to make drastic changes towards West Asia policy

• 1992: India-Israel diplomatic relations start u/ PM PV Narsimha Rao

Military ties & Kargil War

• 1999: During Kargil, Indian Air Force wanted prevision target bombs. Israel proactively supplied the same

• 2000: First bilateral visit to Israel by MEA Jaswant Singh

Modi years

• De-hyphenation of ties as PM visited the two separately

• India has extended olive leaves to all those in west Asia

• Security, defense & connectivity with Israel saw a rise while partnerships elevated with Saudi, Egypt, Qatar & Iran.

• Importance of West Asia for India

  • 9 million Indian diaspora in the region

  • Connectivity to West Asia & Europe (newly decided corridor)

  • Energy demands; 50% of ours are fulfilled from West Asia

• Impact of Hamas attack

  • Tight diplomatic spot for India

  • Tests Abraham Accords and Saudi-Israel deal

  • India hopes to reap dividends of such re-alignment in the region

Source: Indian Express

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