How does India-Israel bilateral ties reflect the autonomy of India's foreign policy choices?. (UPSC CSE Mains 2022 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 2)
- Since 1992, as India and Israel scaled up diplomatic ties, political relations with Tel Aviv flourished. Israel is now a defence supplier to India and is also involved in agriculture. People-to-people contacts are flowering.
- From the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Bengal, there are only two countries that have remained democratic and have a total commitment to democracy since the day they were formed. There are only two countries-In India and Israel. Both states face a common threat of terrorism and have difficult positions to explain with respect to their national security. These similarities make them natural allies or partners. However, in 2019, it was the first time that India changed its decades-old position on the two-states theory; it denied observer status to a Palestinian body at the United Nations (UN). For decades, India has observed both Palestine and Israel as separate countries. This instance was a landmark shift by India from its two-state theory, signalling India’s growing relations with Israel. A significant evolution in India’s policy can be seen with respect to Israel, from being pro-Palestine to balancing between the historic ties and decades-old friend Israel. And now in recent years, India’s closeness with Israel and its string of bilateral relations are perceived as pro-Israel.
- Post 2015 India developed the de-hyphenated policy. Under this policy, India maintained strong relations with Israel and struck a balancing act between Palestine and Israel. A historic move under this policy was the UN abstentions at the UNHRC and at the ECOSOC, where India voted in favor of Israel. The de-hyphenated policy was observed during Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, where he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel but did not visit Ramallah. New Delhi’s policy indicates that it will deal with the two states separately.
- The de-hyphenated policy is complemented by the Arab world’s establishment of ties with Israel. Sudan, Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE signed agreements with Israel establishing diplomatic relations in 2020. And Israel maintains full diplomatic relations with its Arab neighbors—Egypt and Jordan. The policy is an exemplary example of a balancing act whenever the situation demands India’s shift from one side to another. This was seen in India’s position at the UN vote to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli state’s capital, where India voted against Israel. This balancing act is a policy work in progress. India is trying to use its policy for its own advantage first. This policy is not necessarily pro-Palestine, like in the Nehruvian phase, nor is it explicitly pro-Israel, but this policy of striking a balance between the two nations is pro-India.
- India has emphasized its “strategic intent and commitment to simultaneously enhance relations with the Arab world as well as Israel, without allowing it to become a “zero sum game”. India’s policy is that of extending strong support to Palestine cause while maintaining good relations with Israel.
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