Tag: modi

Posted on

THE FLOURISHING INDIAN-ISRAELI RELATIONS

As relations between the European Union countries and Israel are getting cooler and more tense, Israel’s relations with India, a future superpower, is getting warmer and stronger.  Last November, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin received a very warm welcome reception on his state visit to India.  Increasingly, the government of India and its people are moving closer to Israel.  For the first time in history, India’s Prime Minister is scheduled for an official visit to Israel to commemorate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.   Meanwhile, the Indian Defense Ministry announced it has contracted with Israeli arms company Rafael, to supply India with anti-Tank missiles, at a cost of

$1 billion.  The Indian government is also considering purchasing pilotless attack planes from Israel.

India and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992, but when New Delhi was led by the Congress Party, the relationship was cold and reserved.  Things changed in 1998, when the People’s Party of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the national election.  The BJP-led coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed the first non-Congress government in India under the Prime Minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee.  Vajpayee has been a warm friend of Israel.  In September, 2003, Ariel Sharon was the first Israeli Prime Minister to officially visit India.

Rediff-India Abroad reported on August 27, 2003, “Israel in recent years has emerged as a strategic partner of India in the latter’s fight against terrorism.  Israeli sensors are being used along certain portions of the Indian border in Jammu and Kashmir to plug infiltration. A few Israeli experts are working with the Indian Army in fine tuning these sensors.  India has also bought unmanned aerial vehicles and a long-range radar system that is part of the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defense System from Israel, and is expected to soon acquire the airborne early warning and control system Phalcon from Israel.  Israeli equipment is also being used in the upgrade of MIG-21 fighters.

In the civilian sector, there are several major joint projects between Indian and Israeli companies. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Israel Aircraft Industries have a program to jointly market HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter in the international market.  Israel is also expected to train and equip a 3,000-strong commando team, a project that is believed to be the idea of Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani. These commandos are likely to be stationed around the country to react swiftly to terrorist strikes. The cooperation would be taken to a higher level, an official in the Ministry of External Affairs said.”

The 2014 major victory of the BJP over the Congress Party, and the election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister ushered an even warmer approach toward Israel.  PM Modi was familiar with Israel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat State from 2001 to 2014.  Modi sent 600 Indian farmers from Gujarat to Israel to attend the Aggrotech Exhibition in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry had wisely initiated a long-term policy of developing technological and agricultural ties with Asian states, especially with India. Since Israel is a leading world power in agricultural innovation, it has built model farms throughout Asia (and India) and invited farmers from the region to come for studies in Israel.  One such farm was set up in Gujarat, with Chief Minister Modi being deeply impressed.  The Israeli contribution to Gujarat economic success propelled Modi to become PM of India.  He thus remembered that what was good for Gujarat may be good for India.  To add to Modi’s already positive image of Israel, PM Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to congratulate Modi on his 2014 electoral victory.

Something in the nature of mutual respect and admiration developed between Netanyahu and Modi.  They twittered congratulations to each other while at the UN Annual General Assembly Summit (New York) of 2014.  India has become so important to Netanyahu that he would not excuse members of his narrow coalition of 61 (before Avigdor Lieberman’s Israel Beitenu Party join his government) to travel to Europe, but would allow them to go to India.

[the_ad id=”4744″]

Agriculture and technology sectors notwithstanding, in the security (counter-terrorism) and defense sector, the relationship between Israel and India is flourishing. The Indian government contracted with Israel’s defense industry to purchase a medium-range aerial defense system, to be provided to the Indian army, worth approximately $2.6 billion.

Professor of International Relations at London’s King’s College, Harsh V. Pant wrote a (2/12/2016) column in the Daily O titled “Modi deserves credit for ending India’s hypocrisy with Israel.” His sub-title was “It’s time Tel Aviv gets the recognition it deserves from New Delhi.” Pant pointed out that, “Despite representing a nation that is one of the biggest victims of cross-border terrorism in the world, our esteemed members of Parliament (a cynical reference to the opposition party members) have had no compunction in equating the actions of a liberal democratic Israel with the murderous extremism of a terrorist organization such as Hamas.”

Pant goes on to say that “In contrast to the back channel security ties that existed before the normalization of bilateral relations, India has been more willing, in recent years, to carve out a mutually beneficial bilateral relationship with Israel, including deepening military ties and countering the threat terrorism poses to the two societies.  India has also begun denouncing Palestinian suicide bombings and other terrorist acts in Israel.  India is no longer initiating anti-Israel resolutions at the UN and has made serious attempts to moderate NAM’s anti-Israel resolutions.” Professor Pant added, “India is the world’s largest buyer of Israeli weaponry and was Israel’s third largest trading partner in Asia in 2013, just after China and Hong Kong.  Israel has been a good friend of India but Delhi continues to be shy of demonstrating its friendship. At crucial times, when India needed Israeli help, it got it unreservedly. An open relationship with Israel serves India well and it’s time Tel Aviv gets the recognition it deserves from New Delhi.”

India openly recognized the importance of its relations with Israel when India’s President Pranab Mukherjee visited in 2015.  He was invited to address a special session of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) Plenum.  Mukherjee remarked that “The modern period witnessed our parallel struggles against British rule. Our leaders adopted different methods but were inspired by the same human values and ideals… We admire the will and resolve you have shown in building your nation under difficult circumstances.”  Mukherjee added, “The Jewish people have always been an integral part of India’s composite society.” He then thanked Israel for “rushing critical defense supplies in 1999.”  Mukherjee ended his remarks by saying that India’s “consistent policy has been to build a strong, substantive and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel. We will continue to do so through high level visits and exchanges so that India-Israel relations are accorded the utmost priority. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations, we both seek to expand the vision of our future partnership.”

Israel’s President Rivlin reciprocated by visiting the largest democracy in the world in November, 2016.  In his meeting with PM Modi, the latter said: “Two and a half decades of our friendship has brought rich dividends for both our nations. It has also strengthened voices of peace, stability and democracy globally. Your visit provides an opportunity to break new ground and shape new contours of our partnership.”

Following his meeting with PM Modi in New York, PM Netanyahu described Israel’s relations with India as “The sky is the limit.” Israel’s pivot towards Asia, and India in particular, is now apparent.

Originally Published in FrontPageMag.

Posted on

Israel-India Alliance is the Real Global Gamechanger

In 1948 two former British colonies were partitioned and given independent status.  Like the British Mandate of Palestine, the Indian sub-continent had a rocky relationship with their colonial masters.  At the end the British pulled out of both places due to the yearning for independence within the ancestral peoples of the Land of Israel and India. With relations between the Hindu majority India and the Jewish state of Israel growing at a fast pace on all levels, the parallels appear divinely ordained.

In both areas, as they did in many of their colonies the British supported regime friendly leaders while backing Islamic insurgencies to pressure and weaken the hold of the real indigenous party over their ancestral land.  These policies proved successful as they led to the “necessary” partitioning of both Israel and India. By partitioning their former colonies the British, as well as other Western neo-colonialists would ensure the economic and even military dependency of their former colonies.

Nearly 70 years later, Israel and India are no longer dependent on British military and economic might and over the last decade and a half have forged a growing economic, technological, and now military alliance.

In the latest development Israeli Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis met his counterpart Harsh Vardhan last week in New Delhi. The ministers signed a scientific collaboration agreement between Israel and India under which each country will appropriate $1 million for joint research ventures in 2017.

“We are expanding our cooperation in many fields, including science, technology, and innovation,” Akunis said.

In November India signed a $1.4 billion contract with Israel Aerospace Industries and is waiting for ten armed Heron TP UAVs , set to be delivered within three years.  The deal is worth $400 million.

With a billion people in India, making it the largest democracy in the world, Israel finds a partner that has no in built nor cultural hint of anti-Semitism (Jews have been living in India for 2000 years) and fights against the same past and present enemies as itself.  Through technology and military partnerships as well long time cultural connections the two countries are set to impact the globe way beyond their regions.  It is the ultimate partnership that will shake the global order currently controlled by the US, Britain, EU, China, and Russia.

Watch PM Modi speak about the relationship below:

[huge_it_share]

Posted on

The Hypocrisy of Brexit and the Rise of the Developing World

When the colonial powers gave up on their empire building schemes in Africa and the East, they transferred their physical control to one that was far more “humane,” economic control.  The Europeans decided that battling determined independence movements in Africa and the East just wasn’t worth it.  From the late 1940’s to the 1970’s Africa and the East gained their Independence from Britain and other European countries. However, neocolonial policies of economic servitude through corrupt local leadership continued into the present decade.  

Only now, with the rise of leaders like Modi in India, Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya, and Paul Kagame in Rwanda indigenous stability has grown to the point where Europe does not have carte blanche over these growing economies.

This is what is so hypocritical about the Brexit vote. Yes, the British regained their sovereign rights over their island, but it is in fact the British themselves that were some of the greatest offenders of controlling indigenous peoples around the world.  The Middle East and Africa are messed up due to the colonial aspirations of the British and their European counterparts. Israel, Kurdistan, and Arab tribes throughout the Middles East were played off each other and moved from one area to another in order to placate the need for control by the Europeans.

In Africa, boundaries were drawn in order to break strong tribes and when necessary these tribes were enslaved and deported to the new world. The Europeans created artificial states and instead of supporting indigenous peoples in these areas they encouraged migrations of Arabs and fundamentalist Muslims both into the Sub-Sahara in Africa and into the Levant and Northern Iraq.  The hypocrisy of the British disconnecting from Europe as these populations flow throughout the mainland, because they don’t want them entering their Kingdom is obvious. At the end of the day the end of the EU is due to the very same forces these powers applied to the colonial areas under their control.

Remember, chaos breeds the need for order. The neo-colonial powers of Europe and America desired to decimate locals in order to exert perpetual control.  Now their centuries’ old experiment of utilizing the Arab hordes for this work has finally caught up to them. It is true, the British might have slowed it down with Brexit, but until they come clean on the cause of all of this, slowing down will only defer the end result a little longer.  

The irony now is that Europe’s death spiral appears to be irreversible, while those former areas of colonial control such as the Sub-Sahara, Middle East, and Near East are coming of age.  With the pendulum swinging against their historical impediments Israel has become the central pillar in an emerging world order that resets the formerly subjugated into beacons of growth and development.  Unfortunately, the ravaging of these areas perpetuated by neocolonial policies of forced conversions (in the case of west Africa), slavery, and an eradication of indigenous cohesive cultures created a vacuum that has taken the developing world longer to rebound from.

Europe will break up and Britain too.  Yet, in the darkness of their cultural zenith the blame should remain close to home.