13 June 2016

Modi to be the 1st Indian PM to visit Israel :: India set to change Regional Dynamics

http://www.defencenews.in/article/Modi-to-be-the-1st-Indian-PM-to-visit-Israel--India-set-to-change-Regional-Dynamics-5837

Israel and India have common interests. This was recognized a long time ago, but Arab pressure on India put a bar on India's relations with this nation.
No Indian prime minister dared to visit Israel though contacts as the lower level flourished. Military cooperation was the key as both nations faced Islamic terror in all its manifestations. For a long time, India did not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, but about 2 decades back this hurdle was crossed. Despite no Indian prime minister visiting, a low key arms development program took shape with Israel. This failure to recognize and have diplomatic relations with Israel was adversely commented upon by many leaders and the blame was squarely placed at the door of Nehru who bent knee to Arab threats.

Modi strikes out ::
The advent of Modi at the helm in 2014 was a great event in Israeli-Indian ties. Modi and the BJP had long championed closer relations, but the Indian National Congress, the party that ruled India thought that closer relations will antagonize the Muslim minority in India as well as the Arabs. This was an erroneous line of thought but it prevailed. Things changed when Narendra Modi ascended as the Prime Minister of India. He decided to ignore Arab susceptibilities and make India's relationship with Israel more open. In continuation of this Modi will visit Israel in early 2017. It will be the first visit by an Indian leader to Israel and is an acknowledgment that Israel is part of India's global thrust.

Future cooperation ::
Both nations face a common danger from resurgent Islam and its terror groups. Israel is ringed by inimical Muslim states who are hell bent on destroying Israel. Terror against Israeli citizens is endemic. Many Jews have been killed by Arab terror groups, inviting retribution from Israel. India is also beset by Muslim terror as Pakistan sends terrorists affiliated to the Jaish e Mohammed and JKLF to infiltrate India and launch terror attacks. The most recent were the fedayeen attack on the Pathankot base. The way forward for India is more military and technical collaboration with Israel and also the use of Israeli know-how in combating terror groups. Modi by scheduling a visit to Israel has broken old taboos.

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