Geopolitics

The normalization of relations between India and Israel: II
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Issue Book Excerpt: Rising India | Date : 16 Nov , 2010

The First Signs of Change

As has been pointed out already, in December 1991 India was among the countries that voted in favor of the annulment of the U.N. resolution, which equated Zionism with racism. On January 22, 1992, Giora Becher, Israel’s Counselor in Bombay, was invited to New Delhi for a meeting with the Indian foreign secretary, J.N. Dixit. It was an unprecedented meeting, at which Becher was advised that it was India’s intention to bring about an improvement of its relations with Israel in the near future.

The normalization of relations between India and Israel : I

It had not yet been determined whether Israel would be asked to establish a consulate general in New Delhi in the first stage, or if full diplomatic relations would be established immediately, which would naturally entail the establishment of an embassy. The ultimate decision, he was advised, was in the hands of the prime minister himself, and it would be made within a matter of months.

 Indian foreign secretary had suggested that we allow India to join in the “Peace Process” and that within three months they would solve their internal problems, overcome the opposition to normalization of relations with Israel

However, what India was prepared to do at this point did not satisfy Israel’s demands. On January 23, this writer was privileged to be visiting in Beijing to attend the ceremony in celebration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel, which was scheduled for the following day. A reporter of an Indian News Agency asked me if Israel would agree to India’s participation in the Middle East “peace process,” despite the fact that full diplomatic relations had not yet been established between the two countries. He received a decisively negative reply and was told that such participation would become possible only after the establishment of full diplomatic relations with Israel. On January 26, the same reporter received a similar response from Israel’s foreign minister, David Levy. These interchanges were reported in the Indian news media.5

The Indian government made another, somewhat strange, effort to postpone the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel. On January 28, the Israeli consul in Bombay called to inform us that Prime Minister Rao would be traveling to New York, and he suggested that Israel’s foreign minister, David Levy, join him for a discussion there. This face-to-face meeting would make it easier for him to explain his difficulties to Levy. It was further suggested that, if Levy was unable to travel to New York himself, he could dispatch an authorized representative. I ordered Becher to reply that this suggestion was unacceptable. If Becher was insufficiently qualified for them, the Indian ambassador to the United States was welcomed to contact our ambassador in Washington and invite him to meet with Prime Minister Rao.

Later on Becher called back to advise me once again that the Indian foreign secretary had suggested that we allow India to join in the “Peace Process” and that within three months they would solve their internal problems, overcome the opposition to normalization of relations with Israel, which were still prevalent within the Congress Party, and establish full diplomatic relations with us. I made it perfectly clear to Becher that this was unacceptable to us, and I asked him to explain unambiguously to Mr. Dixit that our experience of the past forty years taught us not to believe them. Our suggestion was that they first solve their problems and that, when they were ready, they should call us.

The Breakthrough

At noon the next day, January 29, 1992, Consul Becher called once again and reported that foreign secretary Dixit had called him from New Delhi and announced that the Indian authorities intended to publish a statement in three hours hence to the effect that they had decided to elevate the level of relations between our two countries to that of embassies, and that they expected us to publish an identical statement at the same time. Furthermore, India was not making this normalization of relations conditional upon its being invited to participate in the multilateral convention on the Middle East which was convening in Moscow, but nonetheless hoped that Israel would not oppose such participation.

Becher asked the Indian foreign secretary for a minor postponement of the scheduled time of announcement to allow me sufficient time to inform Israel’s foreign minister and the director general of its foreign ministry, who were both in Moscow at the time, of this new development. I asked Becher to advise Mr. Dixit that I would not convey anything to our representatives in Moscow before I received the exact wording of their proposed announcement in writing.

The way in which the decision of Indias government to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel materialized and was published, was surprising.

Two hours later Becher called back and dictated to me the wording of the announcement. I sent it off to our foreign minister in Moscow. The announcement on the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel was published simultaneously in New Delhi, Moscow and Jerusalem that same evening. Only six drama-filled hours passed between the initial phone call from the Indian foreign secretary to the Israel consul in Bombay and the publication of the official announcement on the establishment of relations.

The establishment of diplomatic relations with two huge countries – China and India, which together are home to about half of the earth’s population– within one week, is no mean achievement. It is doubtful if any similar development has taken place in the annals of Israel’s diplomacy, except for the events of the first days after the achievement of statehood, when the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries announced their recognition of Israel one after the other.

The way in which the decision of India’s government to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel materialized and was published was surprising. The announcement was made in New Delhi by the foreign secretary J. N. Dixit not only at a special media conference but also a few short hours before Prime Minister Narasimha Rao was to have taken off for the United States. Only two weeks earlier, India had announced that its establishment of full diplomatic relations with Israel was conditional upon its withdrawal to the U.N. separation plan boundary of 1947. But the purpose of Rao’s visit to the United States was to increase America’s economic and military aid to India. He most likely believed that the establishment of relations with Israel would improve India’s image in America and facilitate the approval of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank of the aid which India so crucially required.

The Indian Perspective

The Indian perspective on the above events differs slightly from that of the Israeli. A detailed description appears in the memoirs of Secretary J. N. Dixit, who was involved in the entire process and unrivalled in his qualification to portray India’s perception of the issue.

In his memoirs he details the historic, strategic and economic factors which bound India and the Arab states, and then explains that three important developments caused India to establish diplomatic ties with Israel: first – the Gulf War of 1991; second – the general attitude of the Arab states toward the problem of Kashmir; and, third – the conclusion of a peace agreement between the PLO and Israel.6

A Story of Success – in Tribute to M. L. Sondhi

On February 12, 1992, Israel’s foreign ministry notified India’s foreign ministry that its consul in Bombay, Giora Becher, had been appointed temporarily to Israel’s embassy in New Delhi. Preparations were begun for the orderly establishment of cooperation between the two countries.

When speaking of ties between India and Israel, the towering image immediately arises of a wise and courageous man ““ M. L. Sondhi ““ who, for dozens of years, worked tirelessly for the full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Two interesting phenomena became apparent after the establishment of diplomatic relations: first – contrary to the long-held belief, which had so influenced India’s policy, that India would suffer angry reactions from the Arab states if it were to establish such ties, it transpired that no negative reactions were received from them; and, second – in a similar vein, though, until the last moment, it seemed as if India would not risk invoking the anger of its large Muslim minority by improving its ties with Israel, no significant protest whatsoever was heard from India’s Muslims,7 when Prime Minister Rao nevertheless decided to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

What followed, is well known. Within a short time an excellent relationship developed between India and Israel in many realms. Among many in Israel and apparently in India as well, the feeling prevails that the years of non-relationship were a somewhat abnormal phenomenon, and that the present situation is the normal one – which should have existed from the outset.

There is still much to be done to strengthen the ties between the two countries. It seems that, of all realms, there is one very important one that has been neglected – cultural ties. It is to be hoped that both governments, as well as non-government organizations in both countries, will initiate the strengthening of ties in this realm. As for the political-diplomatic realm, the lingering residue of the long years of separation still needs to be overcome.

When speaking of ties between India and Israel, the towering image immediately arises of a wise and courageous man – M. L. Sondhi – who, for dozens of years, worked tirelessly for the full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He worked almost single-handedly, with persistence and consistency, even during the most difficult periods of official Indian hostility toward Israel. The advice I and my colleagues received from him contributed substantially to the process of normalization. It is doubtful if things would have developed at the same time in a similar fashion without him. It is incumbent upon all of us who believe in the fostering of close ties between the two countries, both in India and in Israel, to honour his memory and to preserve his heritage.

Notes

  1. J. N. Dixit, My South Block Years. Memoirs of a Foreign Secretary, UBS Publishers Distributions Ltd., New Delhi, 1996.
  2. Isi J. Liebler, Winds of Change in the Asia-Pacific, World Jewish Congress, December 1991, pp. 5-12; Report of World Jewish Congress Mission to Pakistan, February 12-16, 1993 (Isi Leibler and Bruce Wolpe), World Jewish Congress, Melbourne, February 1993, p. 6.
  3. The Times of India, Telegraph, Independent, National Herald, July 1, 1991; The Times of India. The Business and Political Observer, Statesman, Hindustan Times, Hindu, Indian Express, Dr. Maqsudul Hasan Nuri, “The Indo-Israel Nexus”, July 2, 1991; Regional Studies. Vol. XII, No. 3, Summer 1994, pp. 31, 40.
  4. Observer, July 4, 1991 (Vichitra Sharma: “Israel Expects India to take Initiative in Opening Ties”); The Times of India, July 5, 1991.
  5. The Times of India, January 25, 1992, “Israeli Terms on India’s Role”; Free Press; The Journal; Pioneer Hindustan Times, January 22, 1992; see also: Dr. Maqsudul Hasan Nuri, “The Indo-Israel Nexus”, Regional Studies, Vol. X11, No. 3, Summer 1994, p. 10.
  6. J. N. Dixit, My South Block Years. Memoirs of a Foreign Secretary, UBS Publishers Distributions Ltd., New Delhi, 1996, pp. 309-312.
  7. India Abroad, April 3, 1992 (Tarum Basu: “India-Israel Official Level Talks”); Saeed Naqvi, “Where is the Indian Ambassador to Israel?” The Pioneer, April 4, 1992.
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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Moshe Yegar

Moshe Yegar, Former Ambassador and Assistant Director General, Head of the Hasbara Department and Head of the Asia-Africa Department in the Foreign Ministry of Israel.

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