A useful partner

India-Israel relations should be deeper and broader

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to India underlines the fact that ties between the two countries are growing ever stronger. Mr Rivlin is not the first head of state from Israel to visit India, but his trip demonstrates that something has changed in the atmosphere between the two countries, especially since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014. Since then, President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel – the first such state visit in history – and it is believed that the prime minister will also visit the country, perhaps sometime in the coming year. Mr Modi himself, while discussing the army’s recent strikes on terrorist staging camps across the Line of Control in Kashmir, compared them to actions that Israel had taken in its neighbourhood. The message is clear: Domestic political sensitivities and the legacy of history no longer constrain the visibility of the bilateral relationship. Under the previous United Progressive Alliance government, such back-and-forth visits would have been unthinkable.

However, under the radar, relations between the two countries have steadily enhanced over the decades. A large group of business leaders accompany Mr Rivlin, and visits to Mumbai, Agra, Chandigarh and Karnal are planned. These destinations reflect the breadth of engagement between the two countries — Karnal, for example, is the location of a “centre of excellence” in agriculture that hosts collaboration in that field between India and Israel. Israel, of course, has considerable experience in increasing agricultural productivity in somewhat saline and semi-desert conditions — much like parts of India’s north-west and west. Trade between India and Israel has been dominated in large part by diamonds but has expanded in scope over time. Like India, Israel has a vibrant start-up entrepreneurial culture and that means high-technology sectors are particularly ripe for collaboration. Of course, Israel is now India’s third-largest supplier of defence equipment, after only Russia and the United States. Meanwhile, India is Israel’s largest customer for military hardware — buying weaponry worth $12 billion in the past decade. Israel’s reliability as a supplier is considered a particular plus in New Delhi.

That said, India continues to have a balancing act to perform. Regardless of the government’s level of concern about domestic sensitivities, it must also keep in mind India’s relationship with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia. These countries are a major source of remittances, and of livelihood for millions of hard-working Indians, and thus relations with them must be kept on an even keel. In addition, co-operation on terror and national security with these countries is essential; such cooperation has been stepped up in recent years, leading to some noteworthy counter-terror successes. Thus India must deepen and broaden its engagement with Israel – a useful and committed partner – and bring it out into the open. But it should not give the incorrect impression that it is going over to Israel’s “side”. President Mukherjee’s trip to Israel provides a useful template. While generally well received, he did not shy away from mentioning India’s continuing commitment to the Palestinian people and to a peaceful resolution of the long-running disputes in the Levant. That example is worth keeping in mind when Mr Modi makes his long-expected visit to Israel.