Israel – India: Opposites attract each other. Or do they?

Political alliances have very little in common with human love affairs. While people enter relationships out of affection for each other, for irrational and emotional reasons, political bonds are quite the opposite. Close co-operations on political, military or economic levels between states are never selfless or purely humanistic in their nature. Every state is trying to strengthen its position through the pooling of forces with others who are like-minded.

Though exceptions occur, there are typically two types of alliances – and they are usually among equals:

1.)    Small nations or nations with very little economic, military or political influence try to create synergies and cooperate to avoid being completely overlooked. The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States or the Alliance of Small Island States are just two examples.

2.)    The heavyweights in the international arena, try to either gain from each other by co-operating, or keep each other in check by creating complicated systems of inter-correlation. The EU and NATO, for instance, prove this point.

And sometimes we encounter love affairs whose physical discrepancies wouldn’t make them appear as such. The pretty, tall supermodel and the short, swashbuckling rock star of international relations are: India and Israel.

While those not very familiar with either of them might think that this oddly looking couple has nothing in common are mistaken.  

Israel and India differ greatly in size, but they have thousands of years of unique and rich histories to look back onto. Both countries are home to religions that form the majority in only those two countries. Nowhere else but in Israel is Judaism the dominating religion while India is home to 95% of the world's Hindus. As a consequence, thereof, both nations are inherently familiar with religion-specific dietary restrictions, mostly unknown in other parts of the world.

But also, politically, these two strange fellas have more in common than one might assume at first glance. Both, Israel and India are home to considerable Muslim minorities who strongly influence the course of the countries’ politics, internally as well as externally. There are unresolved religious conflicts and territorial claims, which often erupt in violence. Neither of the two is short in terrorist attacks against the military, the government or civilians.

It is this shared experience with fundamentalists and terrorism that created this intensive security bond and exchange of intelligence between the two nations, even before diplomatic ties were established and co-operations on all levels publicly promoted. It wasn’t until 1992 that India gave up its non-alignment and pro-Arab policy and formally established relations with Israel.

Only 28 years later India's standpoint changed rather dramatically and both governments are highly nationalistic in their policies and rhetoric, and follow an increasingly hard line against their own muslim populations.

Parallels can be drawn between Israel’s territorial claims in the West Bank and India’s claims over the Kashmir region. Both conflicts led to several wars and insurgencies and are unresolved to this day. Outbreaks of violence are omnipresent and often difficult to predict. Due to the longevity of the conflicts and many failed mediations attempts of international scale, there is no real prospect for peace any time soon. Israel and India are likely to have arranged themselves with the status quo and are actually clinging on to it for domestic political benefits. 

Moreover, both countries are surrounded by rival states and have gone through various armed conflicts with them. The fact that India had to endure several wars and clashes with China and Pakistan and, while Israel had to go through wars and massive military operations almost in every decade since its independence, contributed immensely to the development of both countries’ economies and production capabilities. The deep survival instincts that are embedded in the minds of both nations' peoples has had a significant impact on their development as start-up and tech nations.

While Silicon Valley might be the home to Apple, Facebook and Co. Israel and India have their national equivalents with thriving, ingenious and prospering talents in IT and technology, producing ideas and inventions en masse and making their countries world leaders in that field. It is not without reason that every big player from the U.S. has offices and research facilities in Israel’s Silicon Wadi or India’s Silicon Plateau (Bangalore is located on the Mysore Plateau).

India has a population 150 times bigger than Israel’s and outnumbers its standing army by 6.5 times, while the military expenditure is just 2.5 times as high. When comparing the military expenditure percentage of the GDP Israel spends nearly 3.5 times as much. Though numbers of spending and personnel vary greatly, both countries are allegedly members in the very exclusive club of possessors of nuclear weapons. 

Despite the difference in size, one should not overlook the soft power influence Israel has in the US and how that is utilized, among other things, for the benefit of prompting US-Indian relations. Though both countries still see the Iranian problem differently, the various common strategic and economic interests encourage both states to behave pragmatically and develop the needed modus operandi in the many other aspects where they see eye to eye.

While outward appearances might not give it away, it is often inner values and shared experiences that make for the greatest love affairs. 

Special thanks to Dr. Aiman Mansour.