Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minster for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Thursday. The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in a variety of sectors but focused primarily on Make-in-India, the Government of India’s flagship scheme for attracting foreign investment and reviving the domestic manufacturing sector.
Notably, Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Ya’alon had met on Wednesday as well at the Aero India show in Bengaluru; here, Israeli leader also had an opportunity to interact with Minister for Defence Manohar Parrikar.
later on Thursday, Ya'alon delivered the keynote address at the RK Mishra Memorial lecture organised by the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. He said that he was, “optimistic about implementing Prime Minister Modi’s Make-in-India vision”. He also made clear that Israel was more than willing to share its technology with India, which is a key element of the Make-in-India project.
Several Israeli companies already have partnerships with Indian agencies and these ties are expected to gain strength in the near future. For example, Elbit Systems, one of the Israel’s biggest Defence companies, has partnered with Hindustan Aircraft, Bharat Electronics and Bharat Forge. According to president and CEO of Elbit Systems Bezhalel ‘Butzi’ Machlis, “The Indian market is growing and opening for cooperation — and cooperation is part of Elbit Systems’ DNA. We understand this market and appreciate the changes.”
On Thursday, another Israeli Defence major, the state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems ltd. announced the formation of a Joint Venture Company with India’s Kalyani Group, marking an important development within the Make-in-India framework. “As part of this campaign we aim to develop and produce high-end technology systems and expand the Defence Industry Base in our country,” said Baba Kalyani, the chairman and MD of Kalyani Group. Brig Gen (Retd) Itzhak Gat, Chairman, Rafael also highlighted that, “Rafael has been an active participant in the Indian Defence Market for the past few years… As part of our global strategy, we form alliances to develop military applications based on our proprietary technologies and in Kalyani Group we see a lot of synergy and opportunities for growth in new markets and especially in India which is strategic market for us.”
Both in Bengaluru and New Delhi, Ya’alon highlighted the fact that his visit was indication of the fact that India-Israel ties are now “out of the closet”. Ya’alon is the first serving Israeli Defence Minister to visit India even though the two countries have robust Defence ties. Israel is one of India’s top three Defence suppliers and India is one of Israel’s biggest customers. Though the two countries do not have a strategic partnership, Israel’s military assistance to India during the 1999 Kargil conflict had established the Jewish state as a trustworthy friend.
Nevertheless, at the political level there was always been a reluctance to acknowledge the scale and potential of India-Israel bilateral even after the two countries had established full diplomatic ties in 1992. Over the years, however, that prejudice has slowly but steadily eroded and many hope that under the Modi Government, there will be a decisive shift in policy.
“Israel-India bilateral ties are accelerating at turbo speed across all facets, from trade, cultural and political levels. But nowhere is it more evident today than in Defence co-operation, in recognition that both countries, two proud democracies, share a united and growing threat from militant Islamists. The current visit to India by Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and reciprocal high-level visits by Indian officials to Israel only further reinforce this increasingly growing bond between the two nations,” said Arsen Ostrovsky, an Israel-based journalist and Middle East foreign policy analyst.
Ya’alon’s visit in only the latest in a series of high-level exchanges in recent months. In September 2014, Modi had met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and it is expected that he will make a trip to Israel — the first by an Indian Prime Minister ever — sooner than later. In November 2014, Home Minister Singh had also made a successful visit to Israel.