In a joint statement at the close of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel in July 2017, he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that ties between the two countries had been upgraded to a "strategic partnership."
In a move indicative of the substance of the statement, Netanyahu rushed to reciprocate the visit with an official trip to India just six months later.
The India-Israel partnership stems from the common threats they face and their shared agenda. Both have fought large conventional wars with their neighbors and experienced low-intensity terrorism. Both are contending with ongoing conflicts involving complex ethnic and religious components that are not easily understood from the outside. Similarly, the rivals of both countries possess weapons of mass destruction.
Both countries are also wary of radical Islam. India fears Pakistan's nuclear arsenal will ultimately end up in the hands of Islamic extremists, while Israel considers Iran, with its religious fanaticism and nuclear program, an existential threat. Islamic State militants, which threaten the stability of Israel's neighbors, are also a cause for concern in South Asia.
There is also an American angle to this relationship. While India, a central player in the international arena, has improved its ties with the United States following the Cold War era, it appears to believe its ties with Israel could prove useful in Washington.
Indeed, the Israeli lobby in the United States understands India's importance to both Israel and the U.S. and the advantages of nurturing ties with the increasingly powerful Indian lobby there. A joint effort by these lobbies led to the U.S. approving the sale of Israeli airborne intelligence systems to India in the spring of 2003. In the fall of 2008, this cooperation was integral to Congress' decision to allow India access to civilian nuclear technology, despite that country not being a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Two changes to the international system could strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Israel: the decline in the U.S.'s global standing, and the rise of China. U.S. reluctance to become involved in the Middle East makes it easier for Iran to achieve regional hegemony there. Countries in Asia view this reluctance with concern. They understand that American weakness will also have consequences for other regions.
The partnership between India and Israel also pertains to the Indian Ocean, where China is increasingly making its presence felt. The Indian Ocean is also of interest to Israel because of its concerns over Iran and Pakistan.
India overcame its apprehensions over security ties with Israel, and now strategic cooperation between the two countries is no longer restricted to the war on terror, which in fact predated the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992 and increased following the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Arms deals have become an even greater part of the equation, including the transfer of technologies to India. As a result of Israel's efforts, it has become the third-largest weapons supplier to India. In fact, a large number of Israeli weapons are now manufactured in India.
India has huge export potential for the Israeli market. More than 100 Israeli business representatives are accompanying Netanyahu on his official visit to India this week. There is room for extensive information-sharing in the fields of agriculture, health, water resource management and high-tech. While in India, Netanyahu will try to expand economic ties between the two countries and promote Israel's image as a technological giant and an important member of the international community.
Netanyahu understands that Asia, and India in particular, are growing more important on the international front by the day, and as a result, the region deserves Israel's attention. Netanyahu's India trip is an opportunity to assess the progress achieved through bilateral relations, overcome obstacles by increasing cooperation, and further strengthen strategic ties.
