Emerging Contours In India-Israel Relations: Progress, Pit-Falls And Prospects

Emerging Contours In India-Israel Relations: Progress, Pit-Falls And Prospects

- Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India likes to hug his foreign peers. This he does almost as a matter of relentless routine. His greeting to his high profile recent guest, his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, in January 2018, included such an act. It was not just signaling the warmth of the welcome accorded the visitor. This time round the hug turned out to be much more than routine. It became an embrace, both literally and figuratively, that left little daylight between them across a spectrum of issues.

Earlier, Mr Modi had approached his Israeli connections with a modicum of caution. He had sought to confine it to the areas of Defence. Now like the proverbial camel making its way into the Arab’s tent, he is seeking out much wider space. This visit made significant inroads into economic spheres, rendering a relationship into a much more composite or comprehensive one.

From Mr Modi’s side, the growing ties were carefully choreographed. Beginning with small steps- he had despatched his Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to Israel earlier- before undertaking a trip there himself in 2017.Now by welcoming Mr Netanyahu in his own terrain, he has completed the diplomatic circle of reciprocations, and is obviously keen to see this relationship develop to his , and India’s, maximum advantage.