By: Dr Gerald Walker
India and Israel have a good relationship, and the two countries are on course to achieve even greater ties in the future. Today, India is Israel’s second-largest trading partner in Asia. Though bilateral merchandise trade is dominated mainly by diamonds, petroleum products and chemicals, recent years have witnessed an increase in trade in areas such as electronic machinery and high-tech products; communications systems; medical equipment, according to India’s Embassy in Israel.
But it is these ties that have come under intense scrutiny, especially after the Hamas attack on October 7 of last year that saw 1,200 Israelis killed and 250 kidnapped into Gaza.
Lebanese Ambassador to India Rabie Narsh said Lebanon acknowledges India’s principled support for Palestinian rights, and said he believes that India, as a global leader, can play a decisive role in advocating for an end to Israeli occupation and oppression.
“We call on India to leverage its influence to urge Israel to respect international law and UN resolutions,” he said. “India’s support for a just and peaceful resolution is especially vital in these times, where Israel’s aggression threatens regional stability.”
India and Israel’s diplomatic relationship formally began in 1992 when India established full diplomatic ties with Israel. Before that, India’s support for the Palestinian cause and alignment with the Non-Aligned Movement had kept the two countries apart diplomatically, despite quiet economic and military connections.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, India’s major ally, and evolving global geopolitics in the 1990s led India to reassess its foreign policy, including toward Israel.
Formal relations opened up avenues for cooperation in defense, agriculture, technology, and counter-terrorism. Since then, the partnership has steadily grown, with both nations now considering each other strategic allies.
After the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, India has quietly remained supportive of Israel, even though it does not always support it in public. As an example, the cargo vessel Borkum in May 2024 carried explosives and ammunition destined for Israel.
Information obtained by the Solidarity Network Against the Palestinian Occupation (RESCOP), suggested the Borkum contained 20 tons of rocket engines, 12.5 tons of rockets with explosive charges, 1,500kg (3,300 pounds) of explosive substances and 740 kg (1,630 pounds) of charges and propellants for cannons, according to an Al Jazeera report.
Because of this and other incidents that infuriated pro-Palestinian activists and lawmakers, several prominent individuals have tried to put a stop to India’s aid to Israel. In September 2024, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking to suspend military exports from India following a plea from human rights activists and scholars to minimize India’s complicity in potential Israeli war crimes in Gaza, as noted by the Middle East Eye.
The court said jurisdiction fell under the authority of the Union Government under Article 162 of the Indian constitution. The top court also observed that intervening would amount to a judicial injunction for breach of contracts that the Indian companies may have entered into with international entities.
“The fallout of such breaches cannot be appropriately assessed by this court and would lay open Indian companies which have firm commitments into proceedings which may affect their own financial viability,” the court said.
In June this year, right-wing political commentator Anand Ranganathan went viral when he called for an “Israel-like” solution in Kashmir, telling a podcast host: “Israel has catered for its people who were hard done by. We haven’t; it’s as simple as that. Despite that, yes, there may never be a solution because of the ideology of the people who hate Israelis, and the ideology of the people who hate Hindus.” Many people decried the remarks as a clear call for genocide against Muslims in Kashmir.
Ranganathan replied on X that he was not calling for genocide, but rather to prevent another genocide by “rehabilitating the victims, making settlements, fighting terror, securing borders.” Ranganathan’s comments have been criticized by many in India’s liberal left who oppose the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza and certainly do not want India to be compared with Israel.
Many have also sought to differentiate the struggles in Kashmir and Palestine. “Those who liken Kashmir to Palestine, mostly the hard right and Islamists, understand neither the Kashmir dispute nor the Palestine question,” an editor for The Hindu, wrote on X.
The reason the relationship between India and Israel is so important to each country is because they share similar visions and rely on each other for military and diplomatic assistance. India’s membership in BRICS is also potentially beneficial to Israel which could use another diplomatic pathway to reach nations it does not have relations with.
Leaders of the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – just met in Kazan, Russia from October 22-24 for the 16th BRICS Summit where the organization welcomed its five new members – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
As BRICS expands and looks to become a more influential player in world affairs, India faces the increasingly complicated task of continuing to deepen ties with the United States and play a leading role in Russian and Chinese-dominant global forums, like BRICS.
India’s BRICS connection gives Israel that diplomatic pathway it needs to some of those countries, while Israel provides India with an added pathway to the United States.
This mutually beneficial relationship is important, and each nation can and should continue to find ways to build on their common interests and needs. In the decades ahead, India and Israel can grow their partnership and benefit each other in several ways, including militarily, diplomatically and economically.
Indeed, the future is bright for India-Israel ties.
