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Tribune, 04-07-2017
Posted at: Jul 4, 2017, 12:20 AM; last updated: Jul 4, 2017, 12:20 AM (IST)
Time for shifting gears in India-Israel ties
KV Prasad
Special Bonhomie: Amar Sinha, Secretary (right), and the lsraeli Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, launch a logo at the celebration of “25 Years of India-Israel Diplomatic Relations — A Growing Partnership” at the lndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. PTI
THERE is a great ring of expectation in India and excitement in Israel over the first-ever visit by an Indian head of the government in Prime Minister NarendraModi to Jerusalem this week. Tuesday, July 4, 2017 will be etched in the annals of bilateral relations established 25 years ago,
Political and strategic affairs pundits with leanings towards the Right-of-Centre are viewing the three-day trip as a huge leap in the way India conducts its diplomatic relations what with Modi's ability to create many firsts both at home and away.
That the visit is occurring three years after his assumption of the office is a bit of surprise considering that PM Modi's comfort level in dealing with Israeli PM Benajmin Netanyahu was established in his previous avatar as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
It is no coincidence that the first official confirmation of the trip to Israel came from Modi at a public rally in April at Surat, a large trading hub for diamond trade. Israel is a major player in producing cut diamonds,
Looking at the buzz in social media, Israel is keen to mark the occasion as one showcasing the coming of age of a relationship that in the words of its Ambassador Daniel Carmon was “low-key low-volume” and now poised for a paradigm shift to a reach a higher trajectory.
Over the past few days, Israelis have mounted short videos exhibiting how the country is preparing for the upcoming visit including efforts by citizens to speak and write welcome notes in Hindi.
Ever since India established full diplomatic ties with Israel 25 years ago, one of the most enduring yet underplayed facets of this partnership is the assistance to New Delhi in strengthening its security apparatus both with arms, weapons and high technological gadgets.
Even before India moved on to build diplomatic ties, besides willing to invest in the country, Israelis were keen to “initiate scientific and technological cooperation” with us. Israel's agricultural experiences in dry-farming, desert irrigation, agro-industries and agricultural cooperatives are beneficial to India was the assessment of former Foreign Secretary JN Dixit. Under his watch the relations were established during the then Prime Minister NarasimhaRao’s government.
Detecting the winds blowing then was shifting political sands in West Asia, Rao reached out to leaders within his own party and the Opposition but not before sounding out the leader of Palestine Liberation Organisation, Yasser Arafat who in turn briefed Rao on the confidential discussion between the PLO and Israel, Dixit noted in his autobiographical account My South Block Years.
Though Israel maintained a presence in India since 1950, a consulate in Mumbai, the first public attempt to bring it out of the closet came in 1985 when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi met his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres on the sidelines at the UN, then followed a decision to allow Israel Davis Cup team to play India in Delhi in 1987. Yet, within a year the altering situation in the West Asian country led to denial of permission to play Israel again.
The roller-coaster ride continued till January 24, 1992, when India announced the establishment of full diplomatic ties. The strategic engagement remains deep since and both countries are understandably wary of sharing information on the extent of bilateral relations.
In an unusual move, Netanyahu's Cabinet passed a resolution on June 25, which identifies Israel's priorities in agriculture, academia, water management and Ganga rejuvenation, cyber security, health, innovation, space, science and technology. Israel also promises to invest $20 million in applied scientific research and a team to supervise its implementation in the Prime Minister's office.
Unlike the past, this visit will mark a clear break from the previous engagement New Delhi maintained with Israel and Palestine. There will be no customary stopover at Ramallah which the mandarins in the South Block characterise as the beginning of the de-hypenation.
History shows that commentators interpreting the Modi government is making bold and taking the country away from the Nehruvian framework is not an appropriate interpretation. It was Jawaharlal Nehru who allowed Israel to open a mission three years after the country attained freedom from the British rule.
Now three years into his term, Modi will land in Tel Aviv today but it is not the first time he will be stepping on the Israeli soil. And like a leader rooted in geo-politics, in the run-up to the visit, Modi reached out across to a wide spectrum of the Arab world — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Qatar.
The last time India performed the balancing act was when External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj stopped over in Palestine and Israel. In 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee became the first Indian Head of the State to visit Israel and spent a night in Ramallah.Will the upcoming Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa trip of Prime Minister Modi shift gears in the bilateral ties from a transaction level to enter a transformational phase?