At the invitation of Tel Aviv-based think tank Sharaka, a group of a dozen Indian scholars traveled across Israel in the last week of January. Sharaka, a non-government organisation established in December 2020[1] soon after the signing of the historic Abraham Accords on 15 September 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and moderate Arab countries.[2] India has been co-opted into this process being mediated by the U.S. via the I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-U.S.) Private Enterprise Partnership signed in 2022, and the 2023 India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
The impact of the war on normally bustling Tel Aviv airport was visible: just two to three passenger jets stood on its tarmac and not a single El Al plane, a sign to how tenuous the ‘ceasefire’ that came into force on 19 January would be.
There was a semblance of normalcy in Jerusalem. Even as early as 1.30 am, families were out for a walk, and stores were open. People were making the most of the ceasefire by getting out of their homes after months of being cooped up inside, with sirens blaring intermittently through the day and night warning of missile attacks. Even in the dark of early morning, there are visible reminders everywhere of the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity not just on street hoardings but symbolically with the many empty chairs tied together with yellow ribbons that are placed on road dividers. War is everywhere, although an uneasy truce prevails.
The first day was spent walking in the old walled city of Jerusalem, home to the three Abrahamic religions’ holiest sites: the Western Wall of the Second Jewish Temple; the Dome of the Rock.[3] and Al Aqsa Mosque[4], and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which marks the spot where Jesus was crucified and where his empty tomb is.
The entry point was the 12th-century Ottoman-built Jaffa Gate[5]. In the cool winter sunlight, the Old City looked pristine and unchanging, but with a difference: it was devoid of the usual ten thousand tourists who throng it on average every day.
The war has meant that the souks in all Quarters of Old Jerusalem, whether Arab, Christian, Jewish, or Armenian, had no bustle. Still, Israeli citizens continued their customs in the Old City, like orthodox Jewish grandparents cradling their newborn grandson, whose Brith Millah was being celebrated, making their way to the party hall.[6]
Israel’s indomitable reputation of being the most secure country in the world took a hit on Oct 7, but that omission is now overcome. There is no danger in walking through narrow lanes and seamlessly crossing from one Quarter to the next. At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the delegates Arif Husain Theruvath, a prolific Instagrammer, was recognized by his kinsmen – Malayalis working in Israel. Twenty years ago, the Keralites were the first to move from working in the Gulf to seek the opportunities that Israel offered. Today, there is a 5000, strong Malayali-speaking community in Israel as also recent post-war recruits of skilled, and semi-skilled labour[7] from all parts of India. They fill the jobs of the IDF reservists who work in hotels, essential services, and construction. Currently, 80,000 Indians are working in Israel.
Almost every day had a special significance. The first day in Israel coincided with India’s 75th Republic Day. The delegates were treated to an Indian dinner, with the ubiquitous Punjabi samosas, very popular locally, teamed with Israeli red wine.
The next day, 27 January, marked the 80th anniversary of Holocaust Memorial Day, or the day on which Allied soldiers finally liberated Jews from the Auschwitz death camp. Yad Vashem[8] is Israel’s official Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem. It was built not only to honour the memory of the 6 million Jews who died at Nazi hands but more importantly, to memorialize every individual who died by name and archive who they were, what they did, where they were from, and if they have surviving family … an on-going process.[9]
The trip provided clarity on a single issue: that the India-Israel bilateral must remain bipartisan and have the support of all national parties in India as it does in Israel so that it endures even after the camaraderie enjoyed by Indian Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Joseph Rozen of Misgav: The Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy contextualized this, pointing out that that though India-Israel ties began under India’s Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s government, the outing of this relationship happened under the BJP’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Similarly, under Trump 1.0 Israel’s bilateral trade with both India and China increased exponentially, while under Trump 2.0. he expects a substantial boost in India-Israel bilateral trade, joint manufacturing, and collaborations in health, education, agrotechnology, digital, security, and defense. Israel, he pointed out, was the first nation to participate in ‘Make In India’ in the defence sector.
For Israel, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)[10] is considered a game changing project and akin to the Abraham Accords 2.0., Carice Witte, founder, and executive director of the Signal Group, an Israeli think tank in Tel Aviv, explains. In the first half of 2024, Israel’s trade with the UAE increased by 7%, with Bahrain by 709%, and Morocco by 64%.[11] Judging by these numbers, it is expected that once the digital-energy-road-rail-ports and logistics infra IMEC corridor is fully functional, participating countries can expect multi-faceted accelerated ties with each other, which will bring the region closer.
Unfortunately, the Israel- Gaza war has postponed the collaboration; the Israelis fear that it will for a long time to come prevent Saudi Arabia, a key participant in IMEC, from signing the Abraham Accords.
The group was taken to the Negev desert to visit three of the 7 October terror attack sites: the township of Sderot, the Nova Music Festival grounds, and Kibbutz Nir Oz. It is on this visit that the pain is palpable. It’s not just the numbers (1200 people dead and 250 taken hostage) but the faces of the victims whose photographs mark the spots where they died or were kidnapped that haunt. The Nova music festival is ‘ground zero’ because this is where the largest number were killed and 40 taken hostage. It has been converted into a large memorial where family and friends visit to place flowers and large pebbles or stones at the foot of the pole holding a photograph of their loved one. The mood is that of a nation in mourning and for whom there will be no closure till every hostage is returned, alive or dead.
The visit wound down with a look into Israel as a “start-up” nation and its potential for India-Israel synergies. Israel’s premier Weizmann Institute Of Science, a multidisciplinary research institution, is one of the world’s top institutes for medical, environmental and pure sciences, and also an innovation hub. International exchanges and collaborations are common. Three young Indian pre- and doctoral students in different fields (quantum physics, engineering, and biotech) explained their research and the iterated ecosystem of institutions supporting it.[12] At Netter Agricultural settlement (est.1949), an experimental farm, an Infield Pre-cooling Machine currently used in Tamil Nadu to increase the life of Jasmine flowers and prevent wastage, was shown.
The current booming ties between Israel and India are likely to get an imminent boost if talk of a long-hoped-for (negotiations began in 2010) Free Trade Agreement between the two becomes a reality. For the most part, Israelis and Indians have a positive image of each other, that keeps the relationship strong.
Sifra Lentin is Fellow, Bombay History, Gateway House.
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References
[1] The Abraham Accords were signed by other Arab nations such as Morocco in December 2020 and Sudan in 2021.
[2] See https://www.sharakango.com/about-us
[3] The rock above which the dome is constructed is the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad was taken up into heaven for an encounter with God (an event known as the Mi’raj).
[4] Muslims believe the Prophet was miraculously transported there from Mecca on the night of his encounter with God. The term “Al-Aqṣā Mosque” is commonly extended to denote the entire plaza and, consequently, to the Dome of the Rock itself.
[5] The Old City of Jerusalem has eight gates all named after the city they lead to. Of the eight gates, one gate is sealed(Golden Gate) , and it is believed that the next Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this Gate.
[6] A Jewish male child is circumcised on the eighth day after birth. A Brith or circumcision ceremony is a covenant with G-d.
[7] In a recent interview given by Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, H.E. Kobbi Shoshani, he states 80,000 Indians are working in Israel now.
[8] In Hebrew it means ‘a memorial and a name’
[9] What is unique in Yad Vashem’s 44.5-acre campus sitting on the western slope of Mt. Herzl is the Avenue of the Righteous, trees planted in the memory of non-Jews who helped Jews at great risk to their families and lives to escape Nazi persecution. Each tree has the name of such an individual on it.
[10] IMEC was announced by PM Modi during the G20 Heads of State meeting in New Delhi on 29 September 2023.
[11] These figures are relative to the first half of 2023. See https://www.misgavins.org/en/category/abraham-accords-en/?print=print-search
[12] The researchers mentioned the Israel Innovation Authority (blue sky); Bina, an in-house Weizmann unit that is a bridge between applied research and industry, and MAFAT, an Israel Defense Forces Institute that is a hub for innovation that it mainstreams into civilian use, among others.