IR :- India Israel Relations

India Israel Relations can be explained in four terms :- HCDAS {History , Counter terrorism , agriculture and water , Societies }

HISTORY ::

It is a curious historical fact that both India and Israel, which gained independence from the UK within months of each other, preferred to join different geopolitical camps and chart different destinies for themselves. India opted for the Non-Aligned Movement, and closeness with the Soviet block and the Arab countries. Israel threw in its lot with the US and Europe.  

India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and falsely fearing the radicalization of its Muslims, most previous Indian governments followed a policy of appeasement of Muslim sentiment, and consistently voted against Israel in various international forums.

But now, an aggregation of opposing forces has brought the two closer. And they are finding an increasing commonality of principles, agendas, and friends ahead of them. 

COUNTER TERRORISM ::

Islamic terrorism is the greatest threat to world order that we are facing today. India has been a victim of terrorist insurgency from Pakistan ever since 1947. On the other hand, Israel is one of the few countries that have successfully created and implemented systems to combat terrorism. Israel has also been a constant ally of India in all our wars against foreign invaders 
and terrorists. The two countries have long shared counter terrorism and security related intelligence. In July 2014, in recognition of the evolving global threat of terrorism, the two countries signed an agreement to jointly fight radical Islamic terrorism together and upgraded their counter terrorism coordination strategy. India and Israel have recently decided to extend their mutual cooperation to include cyber security.

DEFENCE

Defence cooperation is one of the most crucial aspects of the Indo-Israeli relationship. Israel is one of India's largest defence equipment suppliers and supplied equipment worth almost $10 billion during the last decade. Ever since India decided to implement the program to upgrade its security and defence preparedness in early 2000s, under the leadership of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India has acquired multitudes of sophisticated weapons systems from Israel. 

From the Barak 1 anti-missile missile systems, X-95 assault rifles, advanced Phalcon AWACs (airborne warning and control systems), precision guided artillery, Sword Fish ground radar trackers, Spike anti-tank guided missiles and missile launchers, to the SPYDER missile system, India has procured billions of dollars of armaments from Israel, making India the number one export choice of Israel's defence industries. The Barak 8 SAM (surface to air missile system), which has both maritime and land-based variants, has been developed through joint Indo-Israel defence collaboration, and is effective against any airborne threat, including missiles. 

Recently, India has also gone in for the purchase of the Heron TP armored drone vehicles from Israel, to help secure India's borders.

AGRICULTURE AND WATER ::

More than half of Israel's area is dessert and the weather too does not encourage agriculture. Combating these challenges of terrain, Israel has developed some of the most advanced farming and water harvesting technologies available today. 

India has one of the largest populations in the world, and providing it with sufficient food and water can be a serious challenge. The two countries have signed a long term cooperation agreement to transfer technology and know-how for improving dairy, farming and micro-irrigation. They are working together on fostering India's urban water systems, and on training farmers to use Israeli expertise for vertical farming, drip irrigation, and soil solarization in Centers of Excellence established throughout the country.

SOCIETIES ::

India and Israel are both democracies and share cultures of deeply embedded democratic values.  About 40,000 Israeli tourists visit India each year and about the same number of Indians visited Israel in 2013, the largest number from any Asian country. Both countries have close ties with the US, and in the eventuality of the creation of an alliance to contain terrorism (read Pakistan) or aggressive expansionism on the part of others, Indo-Israeli closeness can play a useful role.   

RECENT SHIFT in POLICY ?? ::

There has been a dramatic improvement in Indo-Israeli ties since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in India. What is emblematic of this recalibration of Indian policy is that India is one of only five countries that has abstained recently on the UNHRC vote, on a report which condemns Israel for a military operation in the Gaza Strip. Although India is denying any shift in its stance, defence analysts are of the opinion that it is indeed a major departure from India's earlier stands.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. The visit comes at a time when Israel is taking a fresh look at its relationships with other countries in the region, after the US-Iran deal left Israel out in the cold. 

Also, with India now ready to bring its close relationship with Israel out of the closet, the time appears to be right for the Indo-Israeli friendship to blossom.