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Forging
Indo-Israeli Bond:
A Bird's Eye View
Israel and India
established full
diplomatic relations
on January 29,
1992. However,
even before that,
Israel had a Consulate
in Mumbai, operating
since 1953. Following
the establishment
of diplomatic
relations an Embassy
opened in New
Delhi, and the
Consulate in Mumbai
became Consulate-General.
In addition, an
Honorary Consulate
operates in Kolkata.
During the years
since the establishment
of diplomatic
relations, much
progress has been
made on the bilateral
level. India is
increasingly becoming
central to Israel's
policy, politically,
commercially,
in science and
culture. Israel
is appreciative
of the fact that
Jews in India
were never persecuted.
Reciprocal visits
between Israel
and India indicate
the growing mutual
acquaintance and
the strength of
the relations.
Israel's President
visited India
in early 1997,
following visits
by its Minister
of Foreign Affairs
and other cabinet
ministers. During
1998 and 1999
there have been
visits in Israel
of Indian cabinet
ministers and
MPs, Attorney
General Soli Sorabhjee,
and the Prime
Minister's principal
secretary Brajesh
Mishra. In the
summer 2000, India's
Home Minister
L.K. Advani and
Foreign Minister,
Jaswant Singh
visited Israel.
Close at their
heels was the
visit of West
Bengal's Chief
Minister and CPI(M)
leader Jyoti Basu.
Deputy Chairperson
of the Rajya Sabha
Najma Heptullah,
also visited Israel
in 2000. In December,
2001 a delegation
of the Knesset,
led by Prof. Amnon
Rubinstein, came
to India. Shimon
Peres, Minister
for Regional Cooperation
visited India
twice, in August
2000 and January
2001. Peres visited
India for the
third time (January,
2002) as Deputy
Prime Minister
and Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
In the same year
(February, 2002)
Tzachi Hanegbi,
Minister for Environment
visited India.
Pramod Mahajan,
Minister for Communication
& Parliamentary
Affairs, visited
Israel in January,
2002.
In September 2003
Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel
Sharon paid a
two-day state
visit to India
together with
Deputy Prime Minister
& Minister
of Justice Joseph
Lapid, Minister
of Education Limor
Livnat and Minister
of Agriculture
Israel Katz. During
the visit India
and Israel signed
agreements on
Environmental
Protection, Cooperation
in Combating Illicit
Trafficking and
Abuse of Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances, Visa
Free Travel for
Diplomatic, Official
and Service Passport
Holders, Cooperation
in the fields
of Health and
Medicine, Cooperation
in the field of
Education and
Cooperation in
the field of Culture.
The Delhi Statement
of Friendship
and Cooperation
between India
and Israel was
issued.
In December 2003
Israel's Minister
of Science &
Technology Eliezer
Sandberg visited
India and signed
a MoU with the
Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO)
for the launch
of the Israeli
TAUVEX UV telescope
on an Indian demonstrator
Satellite GSAT-4.
In January 2004
Indian Minister
of Commerce &
Industry Arun
Jaitly headed
the Indian delegation
to the Joint Economic
Committee, which
met in Israel.
In February 2004
Israel's Deputy
Prime Minister
& Minister
of Foreign Affairs
Silvan Shalom
and the President
of Israel's Supreme
Court Chief Justice
Aharon Barak visited
India. Vice Prime
Minister of Israel
and Minister for
Industry, Trade,
Labour & Communications
Ehud Olmert, with
a large business
delegation, visited
India from 6th
December to 9th
December 2004.
India's Minister
for Science and
Technology Kapil
Sibal visited
Israel in July
2005. During his
visit a bilateral
agreement was
signed to pursue
technological
ventures together
via the establishment
of a joint industrial
research and development
fund. Minister
of State for Rural
Development Kumari
Selja, paid a
visit to Israel
in September 2005.
Minister for Commerce
& Industries
Kamal Nath visited
Israel in November
2005 during which
a Joint Study
Group (JSG) was
established in
order to boost
bilateral trade
from US $ 2 billion
to US $ 5 billion
by 2008. Such
an agreement will
realize the full
potential of India-Israel
economic relations
in a comprehensive
manner.
India's Minister
for Agriculture,
Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public
Distribution Sharad
Pawar visited
Israel in November
2005 to represent
India at the official
memorial ceremony
for the late Prime
Minister Yitzhak
Rabin, marking
the 10th anniversary
of his assassination.
During his visit
the two sides
exchanged ideas
regarding the
broadening and
intensification
of bilateral cooperation
in agriculture,
including in micro
irrigation and
dairy farming.
Former Israeli
Prime Minister
Ehud Barak participated
in the Hindustan
Times Leadership
Summit in Delhi
in November 2005
and lectured on
“The Middle
East- risks and
opportunities
for a stable world”.
In February 2006
the National Security
Advisor of Israel,
Maj. Gen. (Retd.)
Giora Eiland,
visited India
and held talks
with his Indian
counterpart M.K.
Narayanan and
other Indian dignitaries.
His visit was
held in the framework
of Indo-Israel
National Security
Council dialogue.
A large Indian
delegation led
by Agriculture
Minister Sharad
Pawar visited
Israel again in
May 2006 on the
occasion of the
Agritech 2006
exhibition. The
delegation comprised
the chief ministers
of Rajasthan,
Gujarat and Nagaland
and included senior
officials from
other Indian states.
During the visit
a three-year Work
Plan for Cooperation
in the Field of
Agriculture was
signed by the
two governments.
Israel's former
Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Prof.
Shlomo Ben Ami,
visited India
in August 2006
as part of the
on-going dialogue
with the Indian
government and
with civil society
institutions.
Israel's Deputy
Prime Minister
and Minister of
Industry, Trade
and Labour Eliyahu
Yishai, with a
high level business
delegation, paid
an official visit
in December 2006.
During the visit
both countries
have embarked
upon negotiating
a Preferential
Trade Agreement
eventually leading
to a Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA).
Chief Minister
of Madhya Pradesh
Shivraj Singh
Chouhan, led a
16-member delegation
to Israel from
29 January to
1 February, 2007
at the invitation
of Minister of
Agriculture &
Rural Development
of Israel Shalom
Simhon. Chouhan
and the delegation
met with Simhon
and visited various
institutes at
Volcani Centre.
The delegates
also visited companies
involved in irrigation
and agricultural
projects as well
as water treatment
& management.
January 29, 2007
marked the 15th
anniversary of
full diplomatic
relations between
India and Israel
which were established
on January 29,
1992. According
to the statement
issued on this
occasion, "the
upgrading of relations
between Israel
and India was
a historic milestone
in the long journey
to achieve normal
and prosperous
relations between
India and Israel,
in accordance
with the vision
of the fathers
of the State of
Israel".
The 6th meeting
of Indo-Israeli
Joint Working
Group on Counter-Terrorism
was held on March
13, 2007 at New
Delhi. It was
preceded by the
3rd round of Dialogue
on Disarmament
and Non-Proliferation
on March 12, 2007.
The Israeli delegation
was led by Miriam
Ziv, Deputy Director
General, Strategic
Division, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs,
while the Indian
side was headed
by K.C Singh,
Additional Secretary
(International
Organizations),
Ministry of External
Affairs.
In March 2007,
Israeli Deputy
Prime Minister
and Minister of
Transport &
Road Safety Shaul
Mofaz, visited
India (19-22 March
2007). During
the visit India
and Israel explored
the ways to enhance
ties in areas
such as civil
aviation, railways,
shipping and road
safety programs.
To mark the 15the
anniversary of
Indo-Israel bilateral
relations a major
musical concert
by “The
Idan Raichel Project”
was organized
in Delhi, Mumbai
and Kolkata during
April 2007.The
Idan Raichel Group
performed in front
of thousands of
audiences in all
three cities.
In Delhi, they
did a fusion with
a local group
called “Rajasthan
Roots” from
the “Jaipur
Festival”,
which was enthusiastically
received by the
audiences.
The 10th round
of the Foreign
Ministry consultations
between India
and Israel, were
held in the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs,
in Jerusalem on
15 May 2007. The
Israeli delegation
was led by Deputy
Director General
Amos Nadai, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs
and the Indian
side headed by
Secretary (East)
N. Ravi, Ministry
of External Affairs.
Comprehensive
and positive discussions
were held on bilateral,
multilateral and
regional issues.
Ravi also called
on Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister
of Foreign Affairs
Tzipi Livni.
India and Israel
have emphasized
that efforts should
be made to fully
utilize the potential
for enhanced economic
cooperation between
the two countries.
Union Minister
of State for Commerce
and Industry of
India Ashwani
Kumar headed a
high-level FICCI
delegation to
Israel in the
month of August
2007. During the
meeting with his
Israeli counterpart
Eliyahu Yishai,
Israel has put
forward a proposal
for a Free Trade
Agreement (FTA)
with India to
boost burgeoning
economic and bilateral
ties. Kumar also
met with Israeli
President Shimon
Peres during his
stay in Israel.
Israeli Home Minister
Meir Sheetrit
paid a two-day
visit on 8 and
9 November 2007
to New Delhi to
attend the second
Asian Ministerial
Conference on
Disaster Risk
Reduction. During
his visit the
Minister called
on India's Minister
of Foreign Affairs
Pranab Mukherjee,
Minister of Home
Affairs Shivraj
Patil, Panchayati
Raj Minister Mani
Shankar Aiyer
and discussed
matters of mutual
interest and means
to strengthen
the cooperation
between the two
countries.
Israel's Minister
of Agriculture
& Rural Development
Shalom Simhon
paid a 10-day
visit to India
in January 2008.
During his visit
the Minister met
with Union Agriculture
Minister Sharad
Pawar, Raghuvansh
Prasad, Union
Minister for Rural
Development, Rajasthan
Chief Minister
Vasundhra Raje
Scindia, Rajasthan
Agriculture Minister
Prabhu Lal Saini,
Rajasthan Irrigation
& Water Minister
Sanwar Lal Jat.
Other visits arranged
by the two governments
include those
of industrialists
and businessmen,
exchanges of academic
and political
delegations, artists,
scholars and more.
Bilateral consultations
between the Indian
Ministry of External
Affairs and Israel's
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs are held
annually, alternately
in Jerusalem and
New Delhi since
1999. Periodical
discussions are
also held on strategic
matters and on
counter terrorism.
Both countries
are committed
to enhance ties
in the fields
of science, culture
and economics.
It should be noted,
that many other
visits have taken
place without
governmental involvement.
Israel welcomes
this as a healthy
trend, which also
indicates the
growing professional,
academic, cultural
and economic ties
between the two
countries.
(Source: Embassy
of Israel, New
Delhi) |
