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As the United Nations Security Council prepares to vote on a Brazilian-drafted resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in order to enable humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip, let us take a look at the history of India-Israel-Palestine relations and how India’s perception of Israel changed over the years.
After voting against the partition of the former Palestine in 1947 and subsequently against Israel’s admission to the UN in 1949, India took some time to come around to the idea of Israel when it was created in 1948.
Israel’s nationhood was acknowledged by India in 1950, but full diplomatic ties wouldn’t be officially established for another 42 years. Because then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru preferred a federal state with significant autonomy for both communities and special status for Jerusalem. India abstained from the 1947 UN Resolution that divided Palestine between Jews and Palestinian Arabs.
But over time, a strong partnership between the two countries in the area of defence has emerged. The alliance has advanced significantly beyond merely buying defence equipment to jointly creating and producing it.
Change of perception
The 1999 Kargil conflict marked a turning point in the defence cooperation between India and Israel. The Jewish state stepped in to support India during the Kargil conflict as the military attempted to drive back Pakistani soldiers who had penetrated Indian territory with the intention of severing the connection between Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) had a number of issues throughout the course of the war, including difficulties locating Pakistani bunkers, imprecise unguided missiles, and a clear order not to cross the Line of Control (LoC).
Then Air Chief Marshal Tipnis decided to dedicate IAF Mirage 2000H jets, which can deliver laser-guided bombs, to ground-attack operations in order to accommodate these limitations and, notably, to address the issue of precision in the Kargil heights. The Jewish state then supplied these laser-guided missiles in addition to mortar ammunition. Due to the sanctions imposed by the US and other nations following the nuclear test at Pokhran in 1998, such help was essential for India at that time.
Israel reportedly supplied India with military equipment worth $10 billion between 2000 and 2010.
The New Heights in India-Israel relationship
Under the Modi administration, the relationship has achieved new high points. Images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu strolling on a beach suggested a casual rapport as they made history by becoming the first Indian heads of state to visit Israel in 2017.
Then-President Pranab Mukherjee (2015), former Army head Gen. M.M. Naravane (2021), and former IAF chief Air Head Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria (2021) made other high-profile trips.
In the ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers‘ study by the Stockholm Institute of Peace and Research Institute (SIPRI), published in 2021, India was credited with receiving the highest share of Israel’s overall arms exports (37%). According to the report’s 2020 edition, Indian imports of weapons from Israel increased by a factor of 175% over the study year (2019–20). Israel was India’s second-largest arms supplier at the time, behind Russia.
Indian Stance in Current World Order
India has maintained a steady, albeit nuanced, position on the Israel-Palestine conflict and has always favoured the two-state solution, which advocates the establishment of one Jewish state and one Arab nation in the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
India favoured a 2018 resolution on the “Protection of the Palestinian Civilian Population” challenging the use of “indiscriminate force” by the Israeli forces. India was one of 128 nations that voted in favour of a 2017 UN General Assembly resolution against the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital.
India didn’t participate in the UN vote in December 2022 that asked the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the legal ramifications of Israel’s “prolonged occupation” and annexation of the Palestinian lands. 87 votes were cast in favour of the resolution, 26 against it, and 53 abstained.
