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Deepening roots: Foreign Ministers of India and Israel in a celebratory column on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations Israel today

2022-01-27T22:16:30.659Z


Cooperation between the countries covers a variety of areas of life - agriculture, security, economy and innovation • Israel and India are two ancient cultures, but also two young democracies that are open to innovation and the ability to communicate with other cultures


About 4,000 km separate India and Israel, marking three decades this year to establish relations between them. Between agriculture and water and innovation and security, the countries share knowledge, projects and vision, in recent months they also share a unique diplomatic dialogue with the US and Gulf states.

There is a great similarity between Indian and Israeli culture: both are based on the historical story, the scriptures, among others, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Bible and the Talmud - great epics, which tell the story of a people, and also moral stories that define common life. Exactly 30 years ago, there was curiosity on both sides, but also a sense of familiarity. We are two ancient cultures. We are also two young and energetic democracies driven by openness to innovation and the ability to communicate with other cultures.

Indian Prime Minister Modi and former President Reuven Rivlin, archive, Photo: Reuters

The ancient history of our people gives us perspective.

We know that friendship and trust are not only positive qualities, but also real assets.

In the bedroom of the first Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, hung a picture of Mahatma Gandhi, two visionaries and deeds who believed in a common path.

For the past 30 years we have been on our way, understanding the nature of Gandhi's thoughts and Ben - Gurion's vision, and discovering that together we can do more.

The collaborations between us today extend to a variety of areas of life - agriculture, security, economy and innovation.

Operational knowledge is shared

Agriculture is one of the key milestones in cooperation.

The desert nature of Israel has led Israel to develop innovative solutions in agriculture and water.

India's population size poses daily challenges that the world has a hard time imagining.

The agricultural cooperation between us is unprecedented.

Together we operate 30 Indo-Israeli Centers of Excellence throughout India.

The companies are engaged in crop diversification, solar energy, productivity and water utilization.

This collaboration yields millions of quality vegetable and fruit seedlings each year, and provides training to millions of Indian farmers with the latest agricultural technologies.

In the field of water, Israel and India collaborate from technologies and knowledge to joint projects.


The "drip", the Israeli drip irrigation technology, for example, has been in India for almost 30 years, since 1993.

Joint air exercise "Blue Flag", Photo: IDF Spokesman

Another tier in our relationship is security.

We recently participated together in an aerial exercise, the "Blue Flag", in the skies of the Israeli Negev.

We share operational knowledge, think together about solutions to the challenges of the arena, and work together on issues of the war on terror.

The cross-border terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008 is a reminder of our common threats, and such incidents must not be repeated.

And of course - cooperation in economics and trade.

India is one of Israel's most important economic partners.

The industrial capabilities and technological education of India's youth, combined with Israel's unique technological capabilities, create enormous potential for mutual prosperity.

Over the years we have witnessed a significant increase in commercial ties.

Israeli startups and entrepreneurs, large Indian companies, programmers and IT people are becoming natural partners.

Israel is the original start-up nation, while India has the third largest ecosystem in the world.

This is exactly why we have established a technological innovation fund that focuses on water, agriculture, health, energy and ICT.

In the days before the plague there were weekly flights between New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Goa to Tel Aviv. For the first time, planes from Israel can fly over the Gulf states. Peace and normalization in the region and the Abrahamic Agreements are already bearing economic fruit and heralding strategic change in the Middle East. The ripples of change are also coming to India - more business collaborations, and the highlight: US-Israel, Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates' square cooperation, teams from the four countries leading joint projects together. Last November, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Naftali Bennett met in Glasgow Our relationship. Three months ago we both met in Israel and talked about our future. We decided to speed up negotiations on a free trade agreement and work in significant areas such as quantum computing. Creation of a "Mumbai Jew" trail to emphasize the community's contribution to that city.

Indian Prime Minister Modi with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Archive, Photo: AP

The Jewish-Indian community contributed to the building of the Indian nation, among them were David Sasson, who helped found the Bank of India, General Jack Rafael Jacob, the hero of the Bangladesh Liberation War, the physician Dr. Jarusha Girad and the poet Nissim Yehezkel. Jewishness in India made an important contribution to the development of Israel, including the scientist Eliyahu Bezalel and Prof. Best Lal-Anson.

We will end with Nobel Prize winners from India and Israel.

Rabindranath Tagore said: "When a person loves, giving becomes a thing of pleasure, as the tree gives its ripe fruit."

And S.Y. Agnon said: "For man the tree of the field is written in the Torah.

We have won three decades in our relationship to deepen roots together, and we wish and pray together that our common achievements will continue to bear fruit.

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Source: israelhayom

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