India-Israel Relations

In News

  • Recently, the President of Israel attended a cultural event at the Israel Museum to inaugurate the new exhibition titled ‘Body of Faith: Sculpture from the National Museum of India’

Israel on ties with India: Key Highlights

  • This exhibition, literally ‘spirit within matter’ in Hebrew, is yet another byproduct of the growing friendship between the Indian and Israeli nations and a reflection of the deep resonance of arts and culture that our nations share.
  • Israel’s President made a rare appearance at an exhibition here featuring Indian deities and temple rituals.
  • India and Israel are “natural allies” who are united by a fundamental commitment to the democratic ideals upon which they were founded
  • The display features 14 exquisite large-scale Indian sculptures created between the fourth and thirteenth centuries, some on loan from the National Museum in New Delhi and some from the Israel Museum’s collection.

India-Israel Relations

  • Diplomatic Relations:
    • India officially recognised Israel in 1950. Soon after, Israel established an immigration office in Bombay which was later converted into a Trade Office and subsequently a Consulate. 
    • However full diplomatic relations were established only in 1992 and Embassies were opened.
  • Economic and Commercial Relations:
    • The bilateral merchandise trade grew from USD 200 million in 1992 to USD 6.35 billion (excluding defence) during the period 2021-2022, with the balance of trade being in India’s favour.
    • India is Israel’s third-largest trade partner in Asia and seventh largest globally.
    • In recent years, bilateral trade has diversified into several sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT and telecom, and homeland security.
    • Israeli companies have been instrumental in transferring technology to India in areas like renewable energy, telecom, water technologies. Many of them have also set up R&D centers in India.
    • The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries is also on cards.
  • Defence Cooperation:
    • India imports critical defence technologies from Israel. There are regular exchanges between the armed forces. 
    • There is cooperation on security issues, including a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism. 
    • Indian armed forces use Israeli Phalcon AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control Systems), Heron drones and Barak anti-missile defence systems.
  • Cooperation in Agriculture:
    • A three year joint work program has been signed between the two countries in 2021 for development in agriculture cooperation.
    • It is aimed at establishing Centers of Excellence, intensifying value chains  and encouraging private investment.
    • India has benefited from Israeli expertise and technologies in horticulture mechanization, orchard and canopy management, micro- irrigation and post-harvest management.
    • Israeli drip irrigation technologies and products are now widely used in India. Some Israeli companies and experts are providing expertise to manage and improve dairy farming in India through their expertise in high milk yield. 
  • Science & Technology:
    • The two countries have established a Joint Committee on S&T, established under the S&T Cooperation Agreement signed in 1993. 
    • India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) has been set up to secure cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Israel Innovation Authority, Government of Israel to promote, facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects.
    • It will address the challenges in the agreed ‘Focus Sectors’. 
  • Energy:
    • Tamar and Levianthan gas fields off the coast of Israel were explored recently and India has been one of the first countries to bid for an exploration licence in order to extract and import natural gas from the fields.
    • India’s ONGC Videsh, Bharat PetroResources, Indian Oil and Oil India were awarded an exploration licence by the Israeli government, a clear sign of the ongoing diversification in ties between the two countries.

 

Way Ahead

  • P2P contact: Despite increasing bonhomie between the two states, the people to people contact still lacks. Increased citizens engagement will give further depth to the relations between the two countries.
  • Bigger trade volumes: Though the trade volumes between the two countries have been increasing year on year, still it’s much below its potential level. FTA should be executed soon and the trade basket must expand.
  • Striking balance: Though Israel comes across as a natural partner, India should also be concerned about the human rights issues in Palestine. So far, India has been able to balance its geostrategic needs and international morality.
  • China and Israel: Of late China’s engagement has been continuously growing with Israel primarily for the latter’s technology. India should be proactive in evolving its partnership with Israel from hereon.

Source: IE

 

Other News of the Day

In News Recently, there have been regular complaints from Mates (site supervisors) that their wages under the MGNREGA are delayed for which the Union Rural Development Ministry has devised a protocol which would prioritise payment to Mates.   About  Who are Mates? They are the frontline supervisors of the programmes. They are listed as semi-skilled workers...
Read More

In News Recently, a joint report by the IUCN and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has recommended that the Great Barrier Reef should be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger which has been opposed by Australia. The reef is currently not in the endangered list.  What is the Great Barrier Reef? It is...
Read More

In News  India will assume the chairmanship of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), a multilateral technology control agreement, on 1 January 2023, for a period of one year. India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime, in 2017 and became its 42nd member. Wassenaar Arrangement The Wassenaar Arrangement is an elite club of countries...
Read More

In Context  The first festival celebrating the linguistic and cultural ties between the Barak Valley region of Assam and the Sylhet segment of Bangladesh began About Silchar-Sylhet Festival Organised by the India Foundation and has been supported by the Union Ministry of Culture and the Assam government in association with the Bangladesh India Friendship Society...
Read More

In News President to conferred National Awards for outstanding work towards empowerment of persons with disabilities on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December. About International Day of Persons with Disabilities The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3....
Read More

In News A mysterious and intensely bright flash of light coming from halfway across the universe earlier this year had stunned astronomers worldwide. Key Findings The source of the intense beam has now been identified — a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star, pointing directly at Earth.  The jet of light was brighter than...
Read More

In News In a recent forecast, the World Bank (WB) stated that remittance to India is set to cross the $100-billion mark in 2022. Key Findings About:  In its Migration and Development Brief, the World Bank has said India’s remittance will grow 12 percent from 7.5 percent last year, resulting in $100 billion flow as...
Read More

In News Recently, the RBI has announced the launch of India’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) from December 1. What is Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)?  It is the legal tender issued by a central bank in a digital form.  It is the same as a fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat...
Read More