Almost 14 years after Ariel Sharon’s visit to India, another Israeli prime minister visited the South Asian country in the third week of January. During his January 14-20 trip, Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that he had a long-term plan for the Indo-Israel ties. Both Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi made every attempt to earn ‘credit’ (from their countrymen) for strengthening the bilateral ties. In fact, it seems that they were much more interested in showcasing the ‘friendship’, instead of (actually) bolstering the ties.
Such an attempt was much expected from them, as both the leaders are going through a turbulent period as far as domestic politics is concerned. Although PM Modi’s party managed to win recently-held provincial elections in Gujarat, the margin of the victory had not been satisfactory. Similarly, the Netanyahu government is facing difficulties in tackling corruption-related issues in Israel. As a result, Netanyahu is desperately trying to exhibit his ‘Global Value’. Experts are of the opinion that the pressure of domestic politics influenced diplomacy, thus, encouraging the two countries to sign 14 agreements. Netanyahu admitted that the main purpose of his visit was to capture the huge Indian market in terms of defence, agriculture, energy, et al.
Both Modi and Netanyahu repeatedly mentioned the vastness of India’s ‘size’ and ‘scale’, and Israel’s ‘sharpness’ and ‘edge’ in their speeches. The move was not merely symbolic, but had a great implication in the current global geopolitical landscape. So, the Israeli premier’s recent visit to India was important diplomatically, politically and economically.

Netanyahu & Modi

From India’s perspective, the defence agreement was undoubtedly the most important one amongst them.
In April 2017, India planned to acquire defence items, worth USD 200 million, from Israel. However, the Modi administration changed its decision in the first week of January, with a senior Defence Ministry official saying that New Delhi might not import anti-tank missile technology, worth USD 50 million, from Jerusalem. Interestingly, Netanyahu’s recent visit resolved those issues, as India decided to purchase missiles from Israel once again, ignoring PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. With this, India’s dependence on Israel for arms has reached a new level and it will automatically strengthen the bilateral ties. Jerusalem is well aware of the fact that India, despite its (anti-Israel) stand on the Palestinian issue, had no other option but to cement ties with Israel. And seemingly, Israel needs India at any cost, as well!
Bilateral trade agreements, too, are important for the two countries. Israel has agreed to increase its export to India by 25% in the next three years, although it is difficult to predict India’s ‘gain’ from this decision. This tour was a clear indicator of the success of Netanyahu’s foreign policy, popularly known as ‘Bibi Doctrine’.
For Israel, it would be a costly affair to export agricultural and defence products to India. The Israelis are looking for a huge market. The officials of Israel know that the Jewish nation will have to increase its export power. Or else, their market would not be strong. Now, India is ready to help Israel expand its market and to boost its economy.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das