Modi's red carpet reception in Israel
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 6, 2017
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 4, 2017. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Israel Tuesday for the first-ever visit of an Indian prime minister to the country, in bid to boost all-round ties. [Xinhua] |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a hardcore Hindu nationalist. But it is not the only reason for his huge following at home and among thousands of the Indian diaspora oversees. He has earned the reputation of making bold decisions, even sometimes unpopular, and getting away easily.
His demonetization move which forced almost every able-bodied Indian to queue up at a bank would have devoured any other man in power. He has a penchant for the big and momentous such as the new tax laws introduced after a gap of 70 years.
His three-day trip to Israel is the latest bold move, since it is the first such visit to the Jewish country by any Indian prime minister. It has earned him unprecedented respect in Israel and he was showered with praise wherever he went.
He is not only the first Indian leader to land in Israel on an official visit but is among the world leaders who have avoided Ramallah during the trip. His decision has sparked criticism by his opponents at home. And the Palestinians are obviously very upset, as India had been among the countries providing unconditional support to them over the years.
But things are changing in the world, as well as in India under Modi. Being a pro-business leader who is campaigning for the "Make in India" slogan, he has rightly felt that it was high time to tap into the vast technological resources of Israel, known as the leader in "start-up" businesses as well as its prowess in cutting edge technologies.
India has been growing at an average of 7 percent annually for years and has surplus funds to invest in innovative businesses. Modi has rightly turned towards Israel. It is a win-win situation as India needs technology while Israel needs outlet for tech-savvy entrepreneurs and close ties with the largest democracy come as an additional benefit.
Israel needs to increase its number of friends in order to break the security-centric formulations in its foreign policy. Traditionally, it has been dependent on the United States for its security and leading European countries for moral and political support. It needs to expand supporters on the vast Asia continent, in addition to Latin America and Africa.
It has carefully nurtured ties with China, the second biggest economy. Prime Minister Netanyahu has recently visited China and the two sides agreed to increase cooperation in various fields. After China, Israel has been successful to woo India, the fast growing Asian nation and a regional power.
As Modi through his trademark bear hugs is trying to endear Israel, he is also writing a new chapter in diplomacy as how to keep balance with different countries. He has already made successful trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia – both staunch opponents of each other.
His visit now to Israel, a country having deep animosity towards Iran, shows that diplomacy means having the ability to conduct business with different nations on merit, without taking sides as far as the bilateral differences of countries are concerned.
A good lesson for Pakistan which has been looking at the success of Modi's visit with bulging eyes. Pakistan had several chances to establish at least working ties with Israel but it failed to clinch the moments. Its diplomacy has been subservient to ideological straitjackets and relations with Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia. It failed to look at Israel independently as a long term asset.
Modi, while basking in the limelight, also faces several challenges to build the goodwill he created in Israel into a lasting commercial bond. The annual value of trade of $1 billion between the countries is no match for its potential. The second challenge is to address the concerns of the large Muslim population in India, obviously upset at the snub to the Palestinians.
Since Modi is also eyeing the Israeli arms industry and its military technology, the sales and transfer of sensitive software to India by Tel Aviv might impact its ties with Beijing. There is no secret about American strategic calculus, aimed at making Indian defense stronger to checkmate the growing military power of China.
The sale of military related items to India by Israel may not come without the nod of the U.S. which last month agreed to sell naval spy drones when Modi met Donald Trump in Washington. Hence, the trilateral Indo-Israeli-American nexus and its implications for the region should not be ignored.
Indian policymakers should avoid the tag of a "camp-follower" in order to retain respect.
Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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