Israel, India strengthen cooperation to serve both interests
2009-06-02 |  by David Harris, Xinhua writer Xu Gang

JERUSALEM, June 2 (Xinhua) — Experts who track the Israel-India relationship see an increasingly strong bond between the two distant countries, analyst said the bilateral cooperation in various fields has been enhanced aimed at dealing with challenges and serving interests.

RISING ISRAELI-INDIAN COOPERATION

Current bilateral trade has passed the 4 billion U.S. dollars, much of it military-related, but there are other areas of flourishing commerce as well.

“In the scientific and technological sector, cooperation has essentially consisted of joint research and development projects, with the establishment of several major joint ventures, especiallyin the fields of telecommunications and software,” said Arielle Kandel, a researcher on South Asia with the Israel-Asia Center.

“As for agriculture, dozens of joint ventures have been formed by Indian and Israeli companies and research institutions, especially in the fields of irrigation, water management and crop production,” she added.

MILITARY DEVELOPMENT

The one area in which the two are collaborating most closely isthe topic on which minimal information is currently available. With the increase in threats and attacks on both Israel and India emanating from the Muslim world, they have become partners in military and arms developments and deals.

Officials on both sides rarely comment on the extent of military ties. Israeli technology is very much at play in Kashmir,the region contested by India and Pakistan. Advanced Israeli radarsystems and more are deployed to the area.

Top personnel from Israel’s military headquarters are regular visitors to India, although the Israeli army is reticent to divulge any information about these trips.

Two of Israel’s key military companies, Israel Aircraft Industries and Rafael, signed a deal in 2008 to supply surface-to-air missiles to India.

In May 2009, India added the Israeli-built early-warning Phalcon system to its military hardware, making India one of just eight nations known to have AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) technology. The system can be used to track missiles, fighter jets and ground forces.

For its part, India has provided the launching pad for at leastone Israeli spy satellite. The TECSAR satellite, launched in January 2008 from the Sriharikota Launching Range in India, is understood to be listening in on events in Iran.

India and Israel are said to contemplate joint military exercises. Again, neither side is prepared to comment on this.

RELATIONS FOR INTEREST

The two countries share much — strong nuclear powers both abutting the Muslim world. However, the analysts believe that it is real politics that unites the pair, but could just as easily divide them.

In modern times relations between the two countries are relatively young — with full diplomatic ties established in 1992 — but one has to go back to the fledgling days of Israel and its first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to see the initial hopes for a close relationship.

“I believe David Ben-Gurion was the first to attach strategic importance to Israel-India relations, in the context of the ‘outer circle’ of Israel’s foreign relations, namely to ‘out-flank’ the hostility of the Arab world by reaching out to countries like India,” said Naftali Moser, the CEO of the newly-formed India Israel Friendship Association.

Moser believes Israel must take the bull by the horns right now.

“Israel should endeavor to make a major leap in its ties with India over the next few years, before “the window’ for that cooperation becomes less conducive as the new world order takes shape,” he said.

However, much has to be done to ensure a long-lasting, highly-profitable bond. The work fall the shoulders of not only the governments but also those of business, academia and others, Moser said.

Though many argue the two countries have entered a long-term strategic partnership, Kandel hold a different view.

“While for Israel a strategic alliance with India would be appealing and follows suit with the periphery doctrine articulated by Ben-Gurion and still guiding Israel’s foreign policy, India is not willing to entangle itself in formal alliances with foreign states and rather seeks to maintain amicable relations with the largest number of countries,” she said.

In Kandel’s opinion, as long as the Arab-Israeli conflict rumbles on, India will never feel completely comfortable with its relationship with Israel.