Israel and India both gained independence from the British Empire within a year of each other and both have spent decades fighting brutal wars against hostile neighbors, but for much of that time the two countries had little to do with one another. In fact, India voted in the United Nations against the establishment of a Jewish state.
Over the past quarter century, however, economic and political ties between the two countries -among the world’s largest and smallest respectively- have been greatly strengthened and next month Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to touch down in Jerusalem for a historic first visit by an Indian head of state.
Around 4,000 members of Israel’s Indian Jewish community are expected to greet Modi at a massive ceremony in Tel Aviv, according to Indian sources quoted by the Jerusalem Post, which put the number of Israelis of Indian origin at around 85,000.
This visit, aside from its historical import, may be of great significance diplomatically, according to the Indian Express, which noted that Modi’s travel itinerary does not include a stop-off in the West Bank or Ramallah. This, the paper said, “is a major departure for India’s foreign policy,” which has been steadfastly pro-Palestinian for years.
Modi recently hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi and in 2016 his government supported a UNESCO resolution which denied any connection between Judaism and the Temple Mount.
More recently, the Express reported, Modi changed his rhetoric on a Palestinian state to exclude the phrase “with East Jerusalem as the capital,” a move that, when coupled with other signs, could be read as a harbinger of change for Indian Middle East policy.
“Certainly, a new approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict is in the offing. India now expects Palestine to take the initiative in resolving its problem with Israel, rather than depend upon the international community to put pressure on it,” the Express predicted.
India has shown interest in deepening its already rapidly expanding trade relationship with Israel, especially in the fields of military hardware, and this year inked two defense deals worth over two and a half billion dollars.
