INDIA-ISRAEL
India and Israel have developed a strategic partnership with warm and forward-looking political ties. The formal recognition of Israel by India was declared on September 17, 1950, initiating the establishment of a Jewish Agency immigration office in Bombay (Mumbai). This office later transformed into a Trade Office and eventually evolved into a Consulate. The formal opening of embassies took place in 1992, marking the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two nations. The year 2022-23 marked the joint celebration of 30 years since the elevation of bilateral ties to full diplomatic relations. Beyond contemporary relations, the civilizational connections between India and Israel span over two millennia. India has historically embraced Jews, and their contributions have significantly enriched Indian culture. In Israel, India is recognized as an ancient nation with robust cultural traditions and is seen as an appealing tourist destination
History of the India-Israel Relations
The history of India-Israel relations has evolved over the decades, marked by various diplomatic, geopolitical, and strategic developments. Here is a brief overview of the history of India-Israel relations:
-
Early Years and Recognition (1947-1950):
- After gaining independence in 1947, India did not immediately recognize Israel. However, on September 17, 1950, India officially recognized the State of Israel.
-
Establishment of Ties (1950s-1980s):
- Following the recognition, the Jewish Agency established an immigration office in Bombay (now Mumbai), which later became a Trade Office and then a Consulate. However, full diplomatic relations were not established during this period.
-
Formal Diplomatic Relations (1992):
- In 1992, full diplomatic relations were established between India and Israel. This marked a significant turning point in bilateral ties, and both countries opened their respective embassies.
-
Growing Strategic Partnership (1990s-2000s):
- In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a noticeable improvement in bilateral relations, with increased cooperation in various fields, including agriculture, technology, and defense.
-
High-Level Visits and Agreements (2000s-2010s):
- High-level visits between leaders of both nations contributed to strengthening ties. Agreements in areas such as agriculture, water management, and defense cooperation were signed to enhance collaboration.
-
Defense and Security Cooperation (2010s-2020s):
- Defense and security cooperation became a significant aspect of the relationship. Both countries engaged in joint military exercises, intelligence-sharing, and technology partnerships.
-
Economic and Technological Collaboration:
- Economic collaboration between India and Israel expanded, particularly in technology and innovation. Both nations sought to leverage each other's strengths in areas such as agriculture, water conservation, and cybersecurity.
-
Civilizational and Cultural Ties:
- Beyond contemporary relations, India and Israel share historical and civilizational connections that date back more than two millennia. India has a historical tradition of welcoming Jewish communities, and this shared cultural heritage has been emphasized in diplomatic discourse.
-
Joint Celebrations (2022-23):
- In 2022-23, India and Israel jointly celebrated 30 years of full diplomatic relations, underscoring the longevity and strength of their partnership
I2U2
Background
- I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE, and the US, and was also referred to as the ‘West Asian Quad’
- At that time, the grouping was called the ‘International Forum for Economic Cooperation’.
- The countries have had sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation.
- The I2U2 was conceptualized during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the four countries, which was held in 2021.
- It is broadly aimed at encouraging joint investments in six mutually identified areas - water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.
- Through this grouping, the intention principally is to mobilize the private sector capital and deploy it for many areas of economic cooperation.
- The key one's - expertise, deploy expertise to modernize infrastructure, pursue pathways for low carbon development for our industries, improve public health and access to vaccines, advance physical connectivity between the countries in the Middle East region, jointly create new solutions for waste treatment, explore joint financing opportunities, connect our start-ups to I2U2 investments and also look at opportunities in the space of FinTech.
- These projects, these initial project areas, can serve as a model for Economic Cooperation and of course offer opportunities for our business persons and workers in this field.
Areas of Cooperation
- The project has four keys connected to the people on the ground.
- One of them of course, is the maximization of the crop yields,
- two enhancement of Indian farmers’ incomes,
- three, contributing overall to the food security in South Asia, and in this case, as an extension also in the Middle East.
- Fourth-Other common sectoral areas of interest these areas mainly related to, as I mentioned in the beginning, also how to modernize infrastructure, including connectivity.
I2U2 Significance for India
- Advantage from Abraham Accords:
- India will get the advantage of the Abraham Accords to deepen engagement with Israel without risking its ties with the UAE and the other Arab states.
- Benefit Market:
- India is a massive consumer market. It’s a massive producer of high-tech and highly sought-after goods as well. India will benefit from this grouping.
- Alliances:
- It will help India in building alliances — political alliances, social alliances.
NOTE- The Abraham Accords of 2020 had led to Israel formally normalising diplomatic ties with the UAE and two other countries in the region, marking an important shift in the stance of West Asian countries on Israel.
Economic and commercial relations
- Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992, the economic relations between India and Israel have seen notable advancement.
- Starting at approximately US$ 200 million in 1992, primarily involving diamonds, the bilateral trade has expanded diversely, reaching around US$ 10.7 billion (excluding defense) in FY 2022-23, with Indian exports accounting for about US$ 8.4 billion.
- India stands as Israel's second-largest trading partner in Asia and ranks seventh globally. While diamonds, petroleum products, and chemicals continue to dominate bilateral merchandise trade, recent years have witnessed an upsurge in trade in sectors such as electronic machinery, high-tech products, communications systems, and medical equipment.
- Key exports from India to Israel encompass pearls and precious stones, automotive diesel, chemical and mineral products, machinery and electrical equipment, plastics, textiles, apparel, base metals and transport equipment, along with agricultural products.
- Major exports from Israel to India include pearls and precious stones, chemical and mineral/fertilizer products, machinery and electrical equipment, petroleum oils, defense equipment, machinery, and transport equipment
- The Cumulative Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) from India to Israel from April 2000 to May 2023 amounted to approximately US$ 383 million.
- Indian companies are establishing their presence in Israel through mergers, acquisitions, and the establishment of branch offices. Additionally, Indian companies are actively contributing to the Israeli innovation ecosystem.
- During the period from April 2000 to September 2023, direct Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Israel to India reached around US$ 286.15 million
Agriculture
Under a comprehensive work plan for cooperation in agriculture signed on May 10, 2006, bilateral projects are implemented through MASHAV (Center for International Cooperation of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and CINADCO (Centre for International Agricultural Development Cooperation of Israel's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development). Agricultural cooperation between the two sides is formalized through 3-Year Work Plans wherein 3-Year Action Plans are developed. The 5th 3-Year Work Plans (2021-2023) was signed on May 24, 2021. 31 Agriculture Centers of Excellence have been established in 13 Indian states
Water
- The ongoing collaboration between the two nations in this field was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Water Resources Management and Development Cooperation signed in November 2016.
- During the Prime Minister's visit to Israel in July 2017, both sides entered into MOUs concerning (i) the National Campaign for Water Conservation in India and (ii) the Reforms of UP Jal Nigam. In October 2018, when the Chief Minister of Punjab visited Israel, an MOU was signed between the State Government of Punjab and Mekorot (Israel National Water Company). As part of this agreement, Mekorot is tasked with developing a Water Conservation and Management Plan for Punjab.
- In November 2019, India-Israel water cooperation received a boost with the inaugural visit by the Minister of Jal Shakti to Israel. During this visit, the Minister of Jal Shakti actively participated in the India-Israel Strategic Partnership on Water alongside his Israeli counterpart, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, the then-Minister of Energy. The Minister of Jal Shakti also served as a keynote speaker at WATEC 2019.
- In May 2023, both nations signed a Letter of Intent to establish Centers of Excellence at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, respectively. The primary objective is to implement Israel's water technologies, customized to meet Indian requirements, focusing on sustainable management solutions for the Indian water sector
Innovation and science & technology (S&T)
- The Joint Committee on Science and Technology (S&T), established under the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in 1993, supervises the collaborative efforts in Science and Technology between India and Israel.
- In May 2005, a bilateral agreement led to the formation of the India-Israel Initiative for Industrial Research and Development (i4RD), aiming to support joint industrial R&D projects focused on creating products or processes for global commercialization.
- During the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Israel in July 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Department of Science and Technology, India, and the National Authority for Technological Innovation, Israel, establishing the India-Israel Industrial Research and Development and Innovation Fund (I4F).
- With a commitment of US$ 20 million from each side over five years (2018-2022), this MoU facilitates Indian and Israeli enterprises in undertaking joint industrial R&D projects in priority technology sectors such as agriculture, water, energy, healthcare, and ICT. The MoU on I4F has been extended for an additional five years from 2023.
- Over the period between 2018 and 2023, ten rounds of calls for proposals have been conducted, resulting in the funding of twenty-five R&D projects, including the Apollo-Zebra Medical Artificial Intelligence-based project for the early detection of tuberculosis.
- In September 2020, Israel's Startup Nation Central and India's International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCREATE) initiated a bilateral program to accelerate innovation and tech cooperation.
- The tenth Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology took place on July 25, 2022. Additionally, in May 2023, India and Israel signed an MoU on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation, focusing on key areas under the purview of Israel’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
Defense
As part of routine goodwill visits by Indian naval vessels, three ships from the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy conducted a port call in Haifa in May 2017. In September 2018, INS Tarangini, a naval training ship, also made a port call in Haifa. India actively participated in the multilateral Air Force exercise, Blue Flag-2021, held in Israel in October 2021.
On March 3, 2023, India's Minister of Defence engaged in a conversation with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, marking the first-ever discussion between the two Defense ministers. Previously, Benjamin Gantz, the then Israeli Defence Minister, visited India in June 2022. In November 2021, India's Chief of Army Staff, Gen. M.M. Naravane, visited Israel, while the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, undertook a visit to Israel in August 2021. The most recent Joint Working Group meeting on Defense occurred in October 2021 in Israel
People-to-people relations
- There are approximately 18,000 to 20,000 Indian citizens in Israel, with occupations ranging from caregivers for Israeli elders, diamond traders, IT professionals, to students. The Prime Minister, during his visit to Israel in July 2017, addressed a gathering of around 8,000 Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Indian nationals working in Israel at the Tel Aviv exhibition grounds.
- The External Affairs Minister also engaged with the Indian-origin community in Israel during his visit in October 2021. The commencement of Air India flights in March 2018 between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, offering five flights per week, significantly enhanced tourism and people-to-people contacts.
- Regarding students, there are approximately 900 Indian students pursuing doctoral and post-doctoral studies in Israel. Israeli universities offer several courses related to India. The Indian community in Israel consists of around 85,000 Jews of Indian origin who hold Israeli passports.
- The primary waves of immigration from India to Israel occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, with the majority coming from Maharashtra (Bene Israelis), and smaller numbers from Kerala (Cochini Jews) and Kolkata (Baghdadi Jews). In recent years, some Indian Jews from the North Eastern states of India (Bnei Menashe) have also been immigrating to Israel.
- Notable recipients of the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman include Eliyahu Bezalel, an accomplished agriculturalist from Chennamangalam, Kochi, who became the first Israeli of Indian origin to receive the award in 2005.
- Sheikh Munir Ansari, trustee of the Indian Hospice in Jerusalem, received the award in 2011, representing a unique Indian connection to the Holy City. In 2017, the late Dr. Lael A. Best, an Israeli cardio-thoracic surgeon of Indian origin, was honored with the award. In 2023, Reena Vinod Pushkarna, a prominent restaurateur in Israel, was recognized for her achievements in business and community welfare.
- The Embassy plays a role in facilitating the National Convention of Indian Jews in Israel, bringing together around 5,000 Indian-origin Jews annually. These conventions have been held in various cities, including Ramla (2013), Yeruham (2014), Ramla (2015), Kiryat Gat (2016), Ashkelon (2017), and Petach Tikvah (2022)
