'There is harmony of interests between India and Israel'

    Though India formally recognised Israel in 1950, New Delhi’s stand on Palestine and its traditional ties with Arab world stopped it from having full diplomatic ties with the Zionist state till early 1990s. However, over a period of time, pragmatism prevailed over moral dilemma and the two countries established official diplomatic relations on Jan 29, 1992. In an interview, ambassador Mark Sofer, Israel’s envoy to India, tells Anirban Bhaumik of Deccan Herald how the relation between the two countries grew in a relatively short period of time and resulted in cooperation in almost all sectors. Excerpts:

    How do you view the India-Israel relation? What are the next milestones the two countries are expected to reach in their efforts to boost bilateral ties?
     Well, in just 18 years, Israel-India relations has seen a huge upturn and become truly multi-faceted. We have made significant progress both in political level interactions, as well as in every sphere of cooperation like trade, investment, defence, science and technology and agriculture. There is now much harmony of interests between India and Israel as the two governments strive for development and welfare of their people. We have a number of projects in the pipeline. We have just launched negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement. Israel has lots of respect for India, not only because we appreciate this great country’s efforts for development with its billion plus population and its success stories in an extremely difficult situation, but also because there has not been any anti-Semitic incident in the long history of Jewish presence in this country.
Could you give us a brief overview of the economic relations between Israel and India?
    Indications are that the Israel-India bilateral trade would triple in the next 3 to 4 years after we sign the FTA. I hope the quantum of bilateral trade would reach somewhere in the region of $12 billion, which was un-dreamt of till recently. Israeli private investment in India is estimated at around $3 to 4 billion and spread over sectors like dairy firms, medical equipment, real estate, and also in IT and high-tech industry in Bangalore. Israel’s high tech industry association recently signed a collaboration agreement with three leading high tech associations of India. It looks very promising.
  How does Israel view India’s response to the Nov 26, 2008, terrorist attacks in Mumbai and other such incidents?
     We stand 100 per cent by the Indian government in its fight against terrorism emanating from outside. The 26/11 is just one example of the atrocities that India and Israel are subjected to. India is a highly responsible country and it knows very well how to deal with the situation and I should not comment on that. There are no two international situations which are identical, certainly not the situations in South Asia and West Asia. But both India and Israel are struggling to achieve peace in their respective neighbourhoods and both believe that peace — in South Asia or West Asia — cannot be achieved through military means and there must be political solutions based on compromise. We completely stand behind India on its position on the issue of Kashmir and on its position vis-à-vis Pakistan. We are completely supportive of India.
    Could you tell us about India-Israel counter-terrorism cooperation as well as ties in sectors like defence, agriculture and science and technology?
   Well, I believe that issues of counter-terrorism and defence cooperation should remain out of the public domain. Agriculture, however, is an area where I can see significant prospects of bilateral cooperation. We are setting up centres of excellence together with our Indian counterparts in Haryana, with focus on horticulture and floriculture. In Rajasthan, we are also cooperating in the field of crop management and proper utilisation of water for agriculture in semi-arid zones. I strongly believe that together we could make the desert bloom. We are cooperating in post-harvest production of mango in Maharashtra, particularly to increase the shelf-life of the fruit and thus augment the income of the farmers. We are now also in Tamil Nadu. We have brought over an agriculture attaché to India and we are planning to augment this office. We are planning to set up a joint mathematics institute somewhere in India. We are also focusing on interactions and collaboration among Israeli and Indian universities, other academic institutes and research centres.
   How does Israel view the situation in the region, particularly the move to reintegrate and reconcile with the so-called good Taliban in Afghanistan?
   Like India, Israel too believes that there cannot be a good Taliban and a bad Taliban, or a good Lashkar-e-Toiba and a bad Lashkar-e-Toiba, or, for that matter, a good Hamas and a bad Hamas. Some of the terrorist organisations try to identify themselves as charities, but we all have seen how charitable they have been, be it in Mumbai or Bangalore or Pune. We, in Israel, believe that the way to move forward is to find the pragmatists to work with to resolve the conflict in West Asia.
   Do you think New Delhi’s stand on Palestine issue continues to be an irritant in the bilateral relations between India and Israel?
    Our relation has matured to such an extent that words like irritant are probably out of place. We talk to each other, we explain to each other. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t agree. India has been supportive of the peace process in West Asia. As far as the process to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict is concerned, I think we all agree on what should be the outcome of it — a state of Israel at peace with a state of Palestine free of terror.
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CPI protests against the nastiness of Israel over Gaza aid flotilla

By T. Riyas Babu
The Milli Gazette
02 June 2010

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) organised a protest march to the Israeli Embassy here at Shahjahan Road in New Delhi on Wednesday, 2 May, protesting against Israel’s attack on the Gaza aid flotilla that shook the entire world. The protest march was attended by several Muslim leaders and social activists along with CPI and CPIM leaders. Its march towards the Zionist embassy was blocked by the police. Protesters raised slogans against the Israeli terrorism, called for its trial in front of the International Court of Justice and demanded that India forthwith curtail its relations with Israel. In particular, speaker after speaker denounced the growing Indian defence and security relations with Israel, called for an end to these relations and said that the Indian money paid to Israel is directly used to kill and terrorise the Palestinian people.Delhi legislator, Shoaib Iqbal while addressing the protesters demanded the Indian government to take a position on the issue of Israel and its brutality against the people of Palestine. “If the government fails to take necessary steps, it will face strong protests from the people of the country,” he asserted.

Mr. Atul Anjan, senior CPI leader and member of Parliament, said that India had been supporting Palestine and its people since pre-Independence times. “India’s support to Palestine has to continue as that country has been going through hazardous times for many years due to the viciousness of the Israeli occupation. Protests have to be made all over the world. Stand of the countries like Cuba which has been resisting provocations and threats of imperialist countries is an inspiration for the people who believe in democracy,” he said. Criticising the stand of India on Israel, he said “India despite being a massive power in the world shamelessly shows off its favour to Israel. India has recently bought weapons from Israel for more than $1000 million. That means the money we pay as tax to the government goes to help Israel to commit genocide.”

Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, Editor of The Milli Gazette, addressing the protesters criticised the nastiness of Israel. Dr. Khan, who has been speaking and writing against the brutalities of Israel in Palestine for many years, called upon the whole world to strongly protest against the bloody Jewish regime and take it to the International Court of Justice for its crimes.

“India should break down all connections with the Israeli government,” said Sitaram Yechury, CPI (M) Politburo member and member of Parliament. “If France is for the French and England for the English, Palestine should be for the Palestinians as Gandhi said in the 1920s. The stand of the UPA government on many issues has proved that it is in favour of the genocide by Israel.” He said that the UPA government has planned a “Free Trade Programme” with Israel that would open the floodgate of Israeli goods into India and will facilitate our money being indirectly used for the massacre of the Palestinians,” he stated adding that protests against Israeli will be carried out in all parts of the country.
A group of like-minded organisations called “Palestine Solidarity Committee” has been formed to carry on the protests and support the cause of Palestine in future.
Civil society in India has been supporting Palestine and protesting against the crimes of Israel. The immediate cause of the current wave of protests in various parts of the country is that on 30 May Israel attacked in the international waters a flotilla of six ships carrying around 700 activists and some 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Gaza with a view to lift the blockade of Gaza Strip maintained by Israel for the last three years, with Egypt’s cooperation. The attack resulted in killing twenty activists and left dozens injured. The bloody breach of the international law by the Jewish country irked the entire. Many countries have severely criticised the piracy by Israel.

But as far as the Government of India is concerned, the protest was exceptionally meek and even Israel was not mentioned in the government statement. But the Israeli rogue attack has jolted the civil society and newspapers have published strong editorials condemning Israel. Protests are being organised in various cities across India. A big protest will be organised by Indian Muslim organisation on Friday, 4 June in Delhi on Shahjahan Road next to the Israeli embassy.




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India's statement on Israeli attack weak: Palestine

2010-06-22 16:30:00

    Palestine Tuesday said it was 'surprised' over India's 'weak' statement on the May 31 Israeli attack on a flotilla of civilian aid ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip.
   'The Indian government issued a weak statement. It didn't mention Israel. That is not the political heritage of India's ruling party,' Palestinian Ambassador Adli Sadeq told a conference organised by Indo-Palestine Friendship Society and Indo-Arab Solidarity Council here.
   The conference was attended by diplomats from various muslim countries including Egypt and Iran.
Sadeq said India's 'weak statement' came even as 20 Jewish organisations strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the flotilla in which nine peace activists were killed.
 India, like China which enjoys good relations with Israel, should have strongly condemned the Israeli behaviour, Sadeq said.
 He said since Jawaharlal Nehru's period, the leadership of India know the Israeli behaviour towards Palestine.
'Now, Israel tries to convince India that they help India to fight terrorism. That is a lie,' the ambassador said.
Later, Sadeq told IANS that Palestine has conveyed its 'anguish' to India over the statement.
 'I hope that Indian government and the people would stand with us in all international forums,' the diplomat said. He also added that Indian assistance to Palestine is continuing.
 Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh, under whose initiative the conference was held, said the Indian government should have issued a statement of strong condemnation.
 He said he would convey the sentiments of the Palestine ambassador to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
 On June 1, a day after the attack, external affairs ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters that India deplored the tragic loss of life and the reports of killings and injuries to people on the boats carrying supplies for Gaza.
 'There can be no justification for such indiscriminate use of force, which we condemn. (We) extend our sympathies to the families of the dead and wounded,' he said.
  'It is our firm conviction that lasting peace and security in the region can be achieved only through peaceful dialogue and not through use of force,' Prakash said.

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Israel drags India into flotilla row, later ‘regrets error’

   Posted: Thu Jun 03 2010, 23:49 hrs

 

Soon after its foreign minister compared the raid on an aid flotilla that left nine pro-Palestine activists dead to violence in India and other countries, Israel on Wednesday said the remarks were a ‘regrettable error’ and that they have been removed from records.
In a clarification to remarks made by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who had said the international community remained silent as “500 people were killed in various incidents in Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and India”, Israeli Ambassador to India Mark Sofer said here on Wednesday that “it was a regrettable error.”
“Israel doesn’t see India in the same light as it sees its enemies. India is a close friend for whom we have greatest of respect,” Sofer said, clarifying the remarks had been made inadvertently.
In a statement, Lieberman had ‘reminded’ the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that violent incidents that claimed 500 lives in Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and India in the past month had been ignored while Israel was being condemned for its defensive action.link