Indo- Israel Relation: Analytical Overview of Defence Policy Framework

Partha Biswas

Affiliation: Phd Scholar, Dept. Of Defence And Strategic Studies, RIMT University, Punjab, India

Abstract

Relations Between Jerusalem And New Delhi Were Not Always Warm. Although Both Countries Gained Their Independence From The United Kingdom Within Months Of Each Other But Stood In Opposite Direction Of Diplomacy For Nearly Four Decades – India As A Leader In The Non-Aligned Movement That Maintained Close Relations To The Arab World And The Soviet Union; Israel Which Linked Close Ties With The United States And Western Europe. The Relationship Between The Two Countries Has Blossomed At The Economic, Military, Agricultural And Political Levels. India Has Become Israel’s Largest Arms Export Market In The World Over The Last Decade. Both Countries Faced Same Democratic Threatened By Neighbors That Patronage Terrorism; Therefore Both Countries Also View Their Cooperative Relationship As A Strategic Imperative.

Key Words

Field Of Security And Defense , Relationship In Full Swing, Delayed Diplomacy, Bilateral Agreement , Global/Regional Impact, Recognition Without Relation, Burgeoning Strategic Partnership.

Introduction:

On May 14, 1948, Day The British Rule Over Palestine Demised, A Proclamation Declaring The Establishment And Independence Of The State Of Israel. The United States Was The First Country To Recognize Israel When President Harry Truman Granted Recognition Eleven Minutes After The Proclamation Of Independence. Three Days Later, The USSR Granted Israel Recognition. Nearly A Year After Its Creation, On May 11, 1949, Israel Was Admitted As The 59th Member Of The United Nations. At Least 149 Countries Officially Recognize Israel, Though A Number Of Countries Have Suspended Or Severed Their Diplomatic Relations. Twenty-Five Countries Have Never Recognized Israel. India Recognized Israel In September 17th 1950 But Established Full Diplomatic Relations In 1992.

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Review of Literature:

For Systematic Research Work Reviewing Of Various Literatures Is Utmost Nessecery And On This Particular Topic It Probably Started By Nair (2004) In The Domain ‘Diplomacy Delayed’ Another Pioneer Work By Sharma Same Year Provides A Comparative Study On Hindu Jew Consolidation Against Islamic Invasion. Then Series Of Major Work Done By Kumaraswamy 2010 Blarel 2014 Geobar 2008 Which Are Vivid Analysis Of Indo-Israel Relation With Impact Of Global Balance Of Power.

The Research Question:

During Research the Central Focus Laid Upon The Core Issue Why & How India Changed Its Pro Arab Policy To Make Bilateral Strategic Commitment With Israel

 What Is The Dimension Of India’s Newly Adapted Israel Policy?

 How India Keep Its Commitment Of Non-Intervention

 Non-Intervention, Non-Judgmental, And Non-Aligned Policy Towards Israel –Palestine Conflict?

 What Will Be The Regional/Global Impact Of Indo-Israel Power Axis?

Object and Hypothesis:

An Attempt Made To Assess The Potentiality Of Indo- Israel Multidimensional Cooperation. India Officially Opened Up Its Diplomatic Relation With Israel In 1992 Which Took Its New Heights In 2003 When Ariel Sharon Visited India. Even Before The Cold War Intelligence Sharing Existed Between Two Countries. End Of Cold War, Betrayal Of Arab- World On Kashmir Question And The Rise Of Global Terrorism Forced India To Rethink On Her Israel Policy. Defence Budget Of The Present Government Provides Serious Scope For Israeli Investment In Indian Defence Sector. India And Israel Can Become Greatest Allies In World Politics Which May Change The Structural Composition Of The World. In Further Assumption ‘War On Terror’ Policy India And Israel Together Will Confront Islamic Jihad And Will ‘Remake The World Order’ In Parlance Of Hindu-Jew Consolidation Against Islamic Terror.

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Methodology Adopted:

Methodology Follows to Reach the Real Imperative Conclusion. Thus, The Proposed Research Will Follow The Broad Methodological Framework Of DPA (Defence Policy Analysis). As Far As Method Of Research Is Concerned, It Will Follow The Qualitative Method. The Study Will Follow Interview Method For Primary Data, Content Analysis Method For Secondary Data And Historical Method For A Comparative Assessment Of Data. Apparently, There Is A Lack Of Availability Of Primary Data On The Theme. Therefore, The Research Will Depend Heavily, But Not Exclusively, On The Interviews With Former Diplomats And Military Officials From India And Israel

Chapter 1- Strategic Need before Normalization (1950-1992):

Israel’s Military And Experience Was Never Translated Into Actual Cooperation Primarily Because The Two Countries Did Not Have Diplomatic Relations And The Indian Military Has Little Say In The Making Of India’s Foreign Policy. However, There Was An Urgent Need To Diversify India’s Military Procurements Given India’s Dependence On Soviet Equipment. The Study Of Some Of The 1967 Israeli Military Operations Had For Instance Been Made Compulsory For Officers Of The Indian Army And Other Instances Of Israeli Military Assistance During The Conflicts Of 1962, 1965, And 1971. In Times Of Strategic Need And Of International Arms Embargo, The Israeli Provision Of Mortars And Ammunition Was Essential.

The Change In Arms Procurement Strategy Became Even More Pressing Following The Collapse Of The U.S.S.R. And The Division Of The Soviet Military Industry In 15 Different States. As A Consequence, The Narasimha Rao Government Openly Acknowledged That It Had Taken The Defense Procurement Factor Into Consideration When Justifying The Establishment Of Diplomatic Relations With Israel In January 1992.

Chapter 2- Prudent Rapprochement (1992-1998)

The Normalization With Israel Was Actually Started Under The Premiership Of Rajiv Gandhi. India Started Realizing That Its Unconditional Support For PLA Was Causing Decline In The Leverage Of India In The Matters. PLA Started Considering India For Granted And New Delhi Was In Search For Balancing This Unwanted Decline Of Its Leverage. The Discourse Of Indian Nationalism Started Changing Rapidly. With The End Of The Cold War (1992-1998), International Structural Environment Changed Under The Prime Ministership Of PV Narasimha Rao, New Delhi Attempted Economic Reforms. With The Demise Of India's Time Tested Friend USSR, It Was Left With No Other Choice And To Reapproach Its Policy Towards USA And Its Allies. Due To Internal Reluctance; It Also Took Five Years Of Lobbying From The Indian Military Establishment To Convince The MEA And Political Class For The Need To Have A Defense Attaché Permanently Based In Tel Aviv. Another Decisive Actor Involved In The Defense Procurement Process Also Opposed Discussions With Israel’s Defense Industries. The State-Controlled Defense Research And Development Organization (DRDO), Which Was In Charge Of Most Of India’s National Defense Projects, Had

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Institutional Interests In Limiting Increased Purchases And Cooperation With The Israeli Military Industry. The DRDO Was In Fact In Competition With Israeli Companies Such As Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) And Rafael Over Projects Like The Upgrade Of MIG's, The Development Of Various Missile Systems, Satellite Technology, And Even The Production Of Uavs.

The International Arms Control Guidelines Like The Missile Technology Control Regime (M.T.C.R.) Which India Did Not Join Until June 2016 Which Originally Prevented India From Cooperating With Israel On Ballistic Missile Technology. Some Of The Israeli Technology Was Also Co-Produced With The US Any Technological Transfer Required Prior Approval From Washington To Enter In Negotiations With Third. Nevertheless, There Were Many Visits From The Officials Of The Defense Ministries As Well As From Representatives From The Israel Defense Industry. The First Purchases Of Uavs In The Mid-1990s Seemed Also To Indicate Possible Cooperation In This Particular Field.

Chapter 3- New Horizon Of Stronger Strategic Partnership : Israel Has Sold Radar And Surveillance Systems As Well As Electronic Components For Military Aircraft And Has Helped India Defense Itself Through Training In Counterterrorism Methods.

In November 2011, India’s Elite Cobra Commando Unit Bought More Than 1,000 Units Of The Israeli X-95 Assault Rifle To Use In Counterinsurgency Operation. Also In 2011, India Placed Orders For Four Advanced Israeli Phalcon AWACS Planes (Airborne Warning And Control Systems) Which Are Capable Of Detecting Hostile Aircraft, Cruise Missiles And Other Incoming Aerial Threat Far Before Ground-Based Radars.

In January 2012, India And Israel Stepped Up Their Counter-Terrorism Coordination Strategy In The Wake Of Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s Visit To The Jewish State. The Two Countries Also Signed An Extradition Treaty And A Pact On Transfer Of Sentenced Prisoners.During A July 2014 Visit To Tel Aviv, Indian Defense Secretary Radha Krishna Mathur Outlined His Goals For Indo-Israeli Defense Cooperation. The Indian Government Requested An Unspecified Number Of Sword Fish Ground Radar Trackers, Precision-Guided Artillery, Unspecified Missiles, And Two AWACS Units (In Addition To The Four Ordered In 2005). Mathur Was Especially Interested In The Delivery Of Long- Range Anti-Missile Defense Batteries For Deployment Aboard Indian Naval Ships. The Project Was Announced In 2005, And Originally Scheduled For Delivery In 2012.

Israeli And Indian Government Officials Signed An Intelligence-Sharing Agreement In July 2014, Hoping To Fight Radical Islamic Extremism In The Region Together.Cooperation Increased Dramatically In 2014 With The Election Of India’s New Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Within The Specified Span Of Time When New Govt. Formed In May 2014 And November 2014, Israel Exported $662 Million Worth Of Israeli Weapons And Defense Items To India. This Export Number Is Greater Than The Total Israeli Exports To India During The Previous Three Years Combined.

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Israel Aerospace Industries Successfully Tested A Jointly Developed Indian-Israeli Barak 8 Air And Naval Defense Missile System On November 10, 2014. The Missile Test Was Carried Out By Israel’s Defense Ministry And India’s Defense Research And Development Organization, And Represents The First Full Successful Test Of The Missile. A Top Advisor To India’s Defense Minister Hailed The Test As “An Important Milestone In The Cooperation Between India And Israel.”

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon Made The First Ever Official Visit Of An Israeli Defense Minister To India In February 2015. While In India, Ya’alon, Along With Many Other Top Israeli Defense Officials, Attended The Aero India Arms Exhibition In Bangalore.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) And The Indian State-Owned Defense Research And Development Organization (DRDO) Began Collaborating On A Jointly Developed Surface-To-Air Missile System For The Indian Army In 2015. Indian Officials Purchased 321 Launchers And 8,356 Missiles From The Israeli Military In 2015. India Uses Israel-Made Unmanned Drones For Surveillance And Military Purposes, And Ordered 16 Drones During 2015.

The Government Of India Quietly Approved The Purchase Of 10 Armored Heron TP Drone Vehicles From Israel On September 11, 2015, At A Price Of $400 Million. These Drones Will Help Secure India’s Borders, And Will Be Operated By Members Of India’s Air Force. An Original Proposal For The Purchase Was Presented In 2012, But The Program Did Not Receive Political Backing Until 2015.

Chapter 4 – Make In India Military Collaboration: The Barak 8 Long-Range Surface-To-Air Missile, Developed Jointly Between India And Israel, Was Successfully Tested On December 30, 2015. The Test Of The Missile System, Which Cost The Indian Government Approximately $1.4 Billion, Was Carried Out On The Indian Warship INS Kolkata. India Again Successfully Tested The Barak 8 On June 30, 2016. An Indian Defense Official Praised The Test, Stating “The Test Launch Was A Grand Success And It Met All The Targets.” The Barak 8 Can Be Launched From A Ship Or From Land. Another Successful Test Of The Barak 8 Missile Was Carried Out On September 20, 2016, At The Chandipur Research And Development Base In Odisha, On The Bay Of Bengal.

Indian Firm Reliance Defense And Israeli Firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Signed A Cooperative Agreement Worth An Estimated $10 Billion At Defexpo India On March 30, 2016. Per The Agreement, Rafael And Reliance Will Cooperatively Produce Air-To-Air Missiles, Various Missile Defense Systems, And Surveillance Balloons For The Indian Military. The Undertaking Is Projected To Provide Employment For 3,000 Indians At A Facility In The Indian State Of Madhya Pradesh. The Indian Navy Launched A New, Israeli-Developed Integrated Under Water Harbor Defense And Surveillance System (IUHDSS), In February 2017. The System Will Enhance The Security Of Above And Below-Water Vehicles Operated By The Indian Navy In The Mumbai Naval Harbor.

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In October 2014 India And Israel Reached A Deal For India To Purchase 8,356 Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missiles And 321 Missile Launchers Developed By Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. This Contract Was Deferred Prior To Its Signature However, Due To Costs And Vendor Issues. The Indian Ministry Of Defense Announced In March 2017 That The Contract, Worth Approximately $1 Billion, Would Finally Be Moving Forward.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Announced In April 2017 That It Had Struck A Deal With India’s Army And Navy To Supply Them With An Advanced Air Defense System Worth Upwards Of $2 Billion. The Deal Was Described By IAI As Israel’s Largest Ever Defense Deal.

On May 10, 2017, Three Warships From The Indian Navy Docked In The Port Of Haifa, Ahead Of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s Scheduled Visit During The Summer. The Ships, The INS Mumbai, The INS Trisula, And The INS Aditya, Participated In A Naval Drill With The Israeli Navy When They Entered The Port. This Is The Eighth Time That Indian Ships Have Docked At An Israeli Port, The First Being In 2000.

The Indian Military Carried Out Their First Successful Tests Of The Israeli-Made Surface-To-Air Python And Derby Missile System (SPYDER) On May 11, 2017. The Launch Of The SPYDER System Went Off Without A Hitch, And All Three Missiles That Were Launched Hit Their Targets. Python And Derby Missile Comprise The SPYDER System, Which Also Features An On-Board Radar For Increased Accuracy. The System, Which Is Made For Low-Altitude Missile Strikes, Has A Range Of 15km.

A New Partnership Between Indian Security Firm Punj Lloyd And Israel Weapons Industries, Known As Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems, Or PLR, Was Announced In May 2017. The Firm Produces Small-Arms From The Israel Weapons Industries Product Line, And Is The First Private Small-Arms Manufacturer In India To Produce Equipment For Both Local And Export Use. Ashok Wadhawan, The President Of Manufacturing At Punj Lloyd, Explained That The Joint Venture Aims To Target The Supply Of Carbine, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle And Light Machine Guns For Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces And State Police.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Security Service Recruited 30 Dogs From Israel In 2017, Trained To Attack, Sniff For Bombs And Drugs, And Track Criminals. The Indian Military Deployed An Israeli-Developed Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) Along Its Border With Pakistan In August 2017. The Fence Will Be Monitored By Sensors And Security Cameras, And Will Alert People In Monitoring Facilities When A Breach Has Occurred. Indian Officials Announced Plans To Seal All Of Their 6,300km Borders With Pakistan And Bangladesh With The Israeli Smart-Fence. India Participated In The Israeli Blue Flag Military Exercise For The First Time In November 2017.

In The First Visit Of Its Kind In 20 Years, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin Visited India For A Week In Mid-November 2016. Rivlin And Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi Held Discussions And Meetings Pertaining To Security IJRAR2001843 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 960

Cooperation And Combatting Terrorism, And Also Discussed The Future Of Israeli Investment In India. While In India, The Israeli President Also Visited The Taj Mahal And Observed Indian Water Treatment Facilities. Indian Officials Signed Contracts Worth A Combined $1.4 Billion With Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) During Rivlin’s Visit, On November 16, 2016. The Two Defense Contracts Provide For The Indian Purchase From Israel Of Two Phalcon/IL-76 Airborne Early Warning And Control Systems (AWACS), Valued At $1 Billion, As Well As 10 Additional Heron TP UAV Drones, Valued At $400 Million.

Leading State-Run Israeli Defence Company Has Said It Has Signed A USD 777 Million Contract With India For The Supply Of Barak 8 Long-Range Surface-To-Air Defence Missiles And Missile Defence Systems For The Indian Navy, Media Reports In Jerusalem Said.Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Said India's Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) Will Be The Main Manufacturer For The Project, Israeli Business Daily Globes Reported.

Amount in$ Million 599

Arms supplied by Israel to India 2012-2016

Conclusion

Military Cooperation With Israel Has Indirectly Been Framed As Enabling India’s Quest For Self-Sufficiency, It Has Been Perceived Positively By Politicians Across The Spectrum As An Instrument Preserving India’s Strategic Autonomy (Which Has Little Meaning Unless India Develops Its Own Indigenous Defense Production).Furthermore, Since Most Of Israel’s Sophisticated Weapons Have Been Developed Indigenously, There Were Fewer Risks Of External Pressures On Israel To Stop Supplying India With Military Equipment, Especially During Military Crises.

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References

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DATA SOURCES: PRIMARY SOURCES : 1.National Library Of India, Kolkata, 2. Jadavpur University Library Department Of International Relation 3.Bengal Archive

MEMOIRS: 1.Begin, M. (1978). The Revolt. New York: Dell Publishing. 2.Brecher, M. (1968). India And World Politics:3. Krishna Menon's View Of The World. London: 4.Dixit, J. N. (1996). My South Block Years. New Delhi: UBS Publishers.

SECONDARY SOURCES: BOOKS: Blarel, Nicholas (2015), The Evolution Of India’s Israel Policy: Gopal, Krishna And Sarabjit Sharma (2007), India And Israel: Towards Strategic Partnership Terror In The Mind Of God (New Delhi: Oxford University)

Journal Articles: Ahmad, Imtiaz (2005), ‘India And The Muslim World’, Economic And Political Weekly. Blank, Stephen (2005), ‘Arms Sales And Technology Transfer In Indo-Israeli Relations’, Journal Of International Relations, Gordon, Leonard A. (1975), ‘Indian Nationalist Ideas About Palestine And Israel’, Jewish Social Studies, Hasan, Shamir (2008), ‘The Evolution Of India's Palestine Policy

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