Palestine issue doesn’t diminish India-Israel relations
- Recently Israel’s Consul-General in Bengaluru said that the unresolved Palestine issue could be a factor in India-Israel relationship, but it does not diminish or negate the partnership between the two countries.
Abraham Accords
- Under the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, Israel signed normalisation agreements with four Arab countries — the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
- This is changing the dynamics of the region - with potential grouping among India, USA, Israel and UAE which termed as middle east Quad.
- The security and economic dynamics are under major shift in the region, India recently signed FTA with UAE giving boost to its plan of enhance its engagements.
India-Israel Relations:
- Both the countries are increasingly engaged in the fields of agriculture, defence and cybersecurity.
- Following agreements have been signed between India and Israel during the recent visit of Israeli PM to India:
- Cyber Secuirty Cooperation
- Energy Cooperation
- Air Transport agreement
- Cooperation in the area of Metal-air batteries
- Medicine and Space science MoU
- Invest India and Invest in Israel deal
- Along with wide area of cooperation, defence collaboration plays a crucial role in India-Israel Relations. Eg, Barak 8 missile joint devlopment.
Balancing Iran Nuclear Deal:
- Israel is averse to any idea or deal that bring relief to Iran and its nuclear programme.
- India has significant interest in reviving the JCPOA.
Boost to Regional Connectivity:
- Removing sanctions may revive India’s interest in the Chabahar port, Bandar Abbas port, and other plans for regional connectivity.
- This would further help India to neutralize the Chinese presence in Gwadar port, Pakistan.
- Apart from Chabahar, India’s interest in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), which runs through Iran, which will improve connectivity with five Central Asian republics, may also get a boost.
Energy Security:
- Due to the pressure linked to the US’ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India has to bring down oil imports to zero.
- Restoration of ties between the US and Iran will help India to procure cheap Iranian oil and aid in energy security.
Exam Track
Prelims Takeaway
- Abrahm Accords
- Iran Nuclear deal
- Location based questions