He came, he saw, he conquered – a memorable line by a Roman historian describing Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, today France. Prime Minister Narendra did much the same in Israel – not with the sword but with love, understanding and deep admiration for a dauntless people who have struggled for two millennia for a homeland, and having done so, transformed the desert into a land of milk and honey. With a population of less than half that of Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, Israel stands tall among the tallest in the world for its magnificent achievements in science and technology and its people’s unremitting toil to secure their country’s future.
However, as ever, it takes two to tango. The warmth and personal affection for his Indian guest from Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s transcended protocol and was there for all to see. The top Israeli leadership was out in force at Ben Gurion Airport for Mr Modi’s arrival. Prime Minister Netanyahu told him, ‘We have waited 70 years for you.’
The chemistry between the two men set the scene to a state event transformed into a people-to-people event – a truly unforgettable experience for Israelis and for Indians, via television. Everyone watching the orphaned boy Moshe greeting Mr Modi, with Mr Netanyahu at his side, will surely treasure the moment. Moshe lost both his parents in the Mumbai jihadi assault of November 2008, and was saved by the miraculous presence of mind of his Indian nanny. He lives with his grandparents, still unaware of how his parents lost their lives. He said he wanted to visit India and was assured by Mr Modi that he could do so whenever he liked, for as long as he liked.
Mr Modi laid a wreath at the Holocaust Memorial and another at the Memorial in Haifa to the Mysore Lancers, the Jodhpur Cavalry and 16 th Imperial Cavalry Brigade, whose valour and ingenuity in 1918 during the Great War, the last large-scale cavalry action in modern war, overcame a Turkish and German force armed with machine guns and artillery, to liberate the port city of Haifa. Haifa Day is celebrated every September by the Indian Army.
Business took over from sentiment. Indian and Israeli companies signed strategic pacts worth $4.3 billion (excluding defence) in a bid to boost trade from the present $5 billion to $29 billion in five years. Israeli aid to make Indian agriculture more productive includes water management technologies for which the country is world-renowned. There will also be enhanced space cooperation. A joint science research fund of $40 million is to be set up.
Defence plays a key role in the Indo-Israel relationship. The transfer of Israeli defence technologies will take place, plus the joint production of certain categories of missile. Jihadi terrorism was, and is, perceived as a common threat to the security and well-being of both countries, with none of the specious distinctions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorists.
A former Indian diplomat who served in Israel, Pinaki Chakravarty, speaking on an Indian TV channel, likened the Indo-Israeli relationship to a giant iceberg, one-third of which visible above water, the rest underwater remained invisible to the naked eye. He said it was best kept that way. Much that took place between the partners was kept outside the public domain, he said. Rest assured this will not change anytime soon.
Summing up, there has been a shift in one of the major tectonic plates of geopolitics. For decades past Indian governments have been out of sync with the India’s public, which held Israel in high esteem, whose remarkable achievements commanded unstinted respect and admiration. The Indo-Israeli relationship is no longer to be hidden in a closet; it is out in the open, where moisture-laden winds will help it grow to new, unimagined heights. The region and the countries farther afield will have to factor the India-Israel strategic partnership into their policies. This will surely lead to a better, more prosperous world.
Indian terror concerns need to addressed
The post Brexit dialogue on the Indo-British relationship will not go forward to the desired level unless the British authorities address Indian concerns on jihadi activities in Britain with the seriousness they deserve. There has long been a reluctance to do so because of a stubbornly held establishment view that terrorism in India would disappear if only Pakistani demands on Kashmir were conceded by New Delhi.
Jihadi terrorism is a universal scourge and has to be perceived as such. Prime Minister Modi, during his recent tour of European capitals, and the G 20 summit in Hamburg placed global terrorism on the top of his agenda. His message is robust: no specious reasoning can justify preference for one set of terrorists over another.
Jihadi assaults in France, Belgium and the UK have been given extensive coverage in India and roundly condemned in the media, yet there is a marked coyness on reciprocating such condemnation in the West. The scale of jihadi attacks on India dwarf the outrages in Europe. Consider the attacks on Mumbai alone. In March 1993 and in November 2008: the respective deaths on a single day numbered 300 and 167. The bombing of an urban Mumbai commuter in July 2006 killed scores of passengers. There have been terror attacks elsewhere in the country, although not on this scale. Terrorism in neighbouring Afghanistan continues to shred civil society. The principal source of this terrorism is Pakistan. The fact that an outcrop of jihadi groups cannot target Pakista conceal the activities of those funded and trained by Pakistan’s military intelligence services for action in India and in Afghanistan. There is a noticeable reluctance in the West to utter the P word for fear of offending Islamabad. It has taken much Indian time and labour to persuade its Western interlocutors to de-hyphenate the India and Pakistan relationship. But the willingness to take the next logical step and impose penalties on unacceptable practices is proving elusive. Western hesitancy, it would appear, stems from an anxiety to keep Islamabad on board for its geopolitical goals. The use of non-state jihadi organization as part of a nation’s statecraft is new and its consequences for global order calamitous.
Gareth Price of Chatham House remarked: ‘It is almost like two different are happening in parallel. These are things India has been saying quite explicitly but no one seems to have listened to it on the British side. It hasn’t had the recognition India wants.’
Perhaps the Indian message is getting home at last. The Birmingham Council has withdrawn permission for a rally to held in the city on the death anniversary of jihadi Burhan Wani.
A Council spokesman said: ‘We are now aware of concerns raised about the promotional leaflet, and having assessed the material, have not given permission for the use of the Victoria Square.’ Good sense has prevailed – for now.
Indian students fulfill their American dream
The United States remains the favoured destination for Indian students seeking to pursue higher studies abroad. In 1998-99, the number of students in American colleges was 707. There has been a steady rise since then. There were 166,000 Indian students in 2015-16, up from the 100,000 two years earlier. ‘Out of ervery six international students in the United States, one is from India,’ said Mary Kay Carlson, of the US Embassy in India.
Hate crimes against in the US have, rightly, received considerable media attention and given rise to understandable Indian concern. However deplorable, say Indian students in the country, these have been few in number and the authorities were quick to respond against in arresting perpetrators and bringing them to court. Hate crimes occur in India, and the guilty are not always brought to account.
An Indian student setting out to study Information Technology at the University of Texas said: ‘The US is the best investment for higher education given the quality and diverse atmosphere it provides.’
Indian loan companies have stated that there is no diminution of demand for their services, student numbers to the US continue to rise. Good education brings knowledge and stimulates questioning minds, it conforms to the enduring values of Indian culture. Swelling demand for the best schools and colleges in India have long exceeded supply. The US (and the West) are helping to meet the shortfall to the benefit of both parties.
