Even in wartime Israel and India strengthen ties

• Published date: 16 July 2024
• Author: Dean Shmuel Elmas
• Publication title: Globes (Rishon LeZion, Israel)

These shipments made headlines around the world, but these are just one example of the transformation taking place in the nature of relations between Israel and India

In 1947, India voted with the Muslim countries against the UN partition plan, and for decades supported the Palestinian struggle. After the collapse of the Soviet bloc, full diplomatic relations were established in 1992 between the countries that gradually warmed, and since the election of Narendra Modi as prime minister in 2014, have become a true romance. Today, the ties include security and economic cooperation, which continues to expand.

India is traditionally identified as one of the founders of the non-aligned states, which refused to see themselves as under the sphere of influence of any power. But in recent years, Modi has brought India closer to the US camp. In this context, his foreign policy sees a common denominator between the security threats in India's region, led by jihadist terrorist organizations, and the threats faced by Israel. Also, in July 2023, the US, India, Israel, and the UAE formed the I2U2 Group, which aims to strengthen cooperation in various areas such as infrastructure, space, and food security.

A country Modi wants to visit

In elections held last month, Modi did not manage to secure his hoped-for parliamentary majority, but did win a third consecutive term. Over the next five years, the tea seller from Gujarat who became the leader of the world's largest democracy, is expected to maintain the momentum of the past decade. In 2023, as part of a campaign for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Modi said that India should take its rightful place on the world stage. To Israel's delight, it is one of the countries that Modi appears to want to visit.

"His position regarding Israel should be separated into two parts: Modi and the prime minister of India. There is much in common between his personal and professional views, but there are also gaps," explains India expert Dr. Oshrit Birvadker, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS). The connection between Modi and Israel is long-standing, both based on his ideological views from his days in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (a right-wing, Hindu, nationalist political organization), which sees Israel as a model, having been exposed to its technological treasures from his days as the Gujarat head of the state.

As prime minister, according to Birvadker, Modi views Israel as a close friend of India. "We also saw it in his firm stance on Israel's behalf on October 7, but he is committed to the citizens of India's welfare, and the country's future. In times when India is under fire from all sides, this friendship can become hollow if you don't know how to create and build value, so Israel needs to adapt itself to the new India."

Unlike in the past, India today has clear interests in the stability and strength of Israel, at the center of which is Haifa Port, owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. New Delhi is interested, for the sake of its economic interests, for Israel to have permanent and risk-free access to the world. Moreover, today India and Israel have a common security threat: the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are terrorizing the Red Sea, which is a critical trade route for both countries.

Apart from clear political-security interests, India is a very significant trading partner in the security and defense sector for Israel. And there's more.

Defense trade is thriving

In 2017, India purchased a Barak 8 missile defense system from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), for $1.6 billion (the largest deal in the history of Israel's defense industries until the sale of an Arrow 3 antiballistic missile interceptor system to Germany for $3.5 billion last year). This was a very significant...