INDO-ISRAEL RELATIONS

An Indirect Way To Appease Washington

Yohannan Chemarapally

DESPITE the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) adopted the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) specifically calling for strengthening of relations with the Arab world, the new government seems intent on continuing with the “special” relationship with Israel. The new policies being implemented by the Sharon government will make life for the ordinary Palestinians even more unbearable. The new wall being constructed will divide the West Bank into small enclaves making a future Palestinian state unviable. Uri Avnery, the perceptive Israeli commentator and peace activist, has recently written: ”The walled enclaves will lead, of course, to bloodshed on an unbelievable scale. No people on earth will submit to such a life. For thousands and thousands of young Palestinians, a martyrs death will be preferable.” Sharon has for all practical purposes junked the two-state theory to which the international community and India stand committed to.

The Indo-Israel ties had become extremely close during the last six years when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was in power. The brutal and inhumane Israeli policies against the Palestinians, the policy of targeted assassination of Palestinian leaders and the building of the apartheid wall were all virtually glossed over by New Delhi during the NDA rule. Military ties with Israel were given the utmost importance. In the last couple of years, Israel has emerged as India’s second biggest supplier of arms. When the NDA government took over, Indo-Israeli defence trade was around 250 million dollars annually. Today it stands at 1.5 billion dollars and is rising steeply. The price tag for the Israeli made Phalcon AWACS system is itself more than a billion dollars.

The UPA government, however, seems intent to continue with the same pro-Israeli policies. For instance, it was reconfirmed in the last week of June that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered into an agreement with Israeli Aviation Industries for the joint marketing of its advanced light helicopters. Given the prevailing political realities, the Indian made helicopters will not be finding much of a market in West Asia, at least.

The Israeli company has signed several bigger contracts with the Indian Air Force (IAF). These include the upgradation of the IAF’s Mig-21 ground attack aircraft, sales of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and laser guided bombs. Negotiations are said to be at an advanced stage for the transfer of so called “state of the art” Israeli technology for the fire control systems and thermal imagers for the Indian army’s T-72 tanks. Both the Mig-21s and the T-72s are Russian made. The Su-30s in the IAF are also being equipped with Israeli avionics and weapons systems. Moscow is naturally not too happy with Israel bagging these lucrative contracts for the planes and tanks, manufactured in their country. There have been suggestions that some of the Mig-21 crashes are attributable to the incompatibility of the Israeli software installed in the Russian made warplanes.

Indian officials have also admitted to the purchase of two Green Pine long range radar systems, which is part of the Arrow Ballistic Missile Defence Systems. Washington has not invoked the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) restrictions as the Pentagon has ruled that the radar system is purely of a defensive nature. This was a carrot offered at inducing New Delhi to sign up to the Bush administration’s grandiose missile defence programme. The NDA government was among the first to endorse the controversial programme. Only a few countries like India, Israel and Taiwan had welcomed the move. The new government in Delhi has since distanced itself from the Bush administration’s missile defence programme. Washington has virtual veto powers over the sale of Israeli weaponry as most of the defence equipment produced in that country are done under license from America or have American components.

Washington had vetoed the multi-billion dollar “Phalcon” deal Israel had signed with China. The argument advanced by those advocating closer strategic and defensive ties with Israel is that buying weaponry from Israel helps India circumvent the sanctions imposed by Washington after the Pokhran tests. The other argument is that India needs different sources for its military equipment, space technology and satellite imagery. Indian officials have been saying that buying weaponry from Israel is an indirect way of earning leverage in the corridors of power in Washington where the Jewish lobby has enormous clout. The former national security adviser, Brajesh Mishra had said in a speech to an American Jewish lobby group in May last year that “stronger India-US relations and India-Israel relations have a natural logic.”

The other rationale being cited by the apologists for enhanced Indo-Israel relations is the help given by Tel Aviv during the Kargil conflict. Israeli military analysts have claimed credit for the Indian army’s ability to get the upper hand against Pakistan in the 11-week war. They claim that Israel rushed in its own equipment to supply ordnance and unmanned aerial vehicles for the “ill-prepared and ill-equipped Indian army.” According to officials who have dealt with the Israeli defence lobby, the Israelis are tough dealmakers and charge top dollars for their equipment. Other competitors also allege that they pay around 30 per cent commission to middlemen and others involved in the wheeling and dealing. There are also questions being raised about the need for purchasing high priced defence gadgetry from Israel.

There were reports that the Barak missile system installed on Indian Navy ships have proved not up to the mark.

Both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were against the creation of an exclusive Jewish state on Palestinian territory. Gandhi was even against the partitioning of Palestine, saying that Palestinians and Arabs should not be paying for the crimes committed by the Europeans. Indo-Israeli diplomatic ties were only fully upgraded in 1992 when P V Narasimha Rao was heading the Congress government at the centre. However, the bilateral ties got a major fillip when the avowedly pro-Zionist BJP took over the government. The former home minister L K Advani and the external affairs minister Jaswant Singh visited Israel. They were the first senior ministers to visit the small nation of five million. Arab diplomats say that the day the American government withdraws financial and military support to the Zionist entity, Israel would collapse like a pack of cards.

Advani was accompanied by the heads of India’s intelligence and security services. The former home minister formalised intelligence sharing and cooperation agreements with the Israelis. According to reports appearing in the Israeli media, Israeli intelligence services were allowed to open offices in New Delhi on the lines of the American FBI. After the visit of the former foreign minister Jaswant Singh, both sides agreed to intensify cooperation in areas ranging from counter-terrorism to information technology. A joint commission was established at the ministerial level for cooperation in combating terrorism. Strategic discussions were to be held every six months between the two countries. The other high profile visits to Israel by top Indian officials in recent years were by the former national security adviser and the service chiefs.

Several other important agreement which could have far reaching consequences were signed in the last six years. Reports appearing in defence journals and Israeli publications suggest that the NDA government had reached an agreement with Israel for the training of 3000 Israeli soldiers for anti-insurgency operations. According to reports that have appeared in the western media, Israel is also said to be training American troops in aggressive counter-insurgency training in Iraq, including the assassination of guerrilla leaders fighting against the occupation. India had concluded a 30 million dollars agreement with Israeli military industries for the purchase of an assortment of over 3,400 sophisticated rifles, night vision goggles and laser equipment. Israeli sensors have been put along the LoC to monitor infiltration. The other defence purchases from Israel include artillery guns, fast attack naval craft Super Davora, electronic warfare system for India’s lone aircraft carrier and battlefield surveillance radars for the artillery.