New Delhi, which was a prominent member of the Nonaligned Movement—founded in 1961 as a forum for semicolonial nations many of which had achieved independence through national liberation struggles—was the first non-Arab government to recognize the Palestinian independence movement. It was also the last major government to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.

India now tops the list of customers for Tel Aviv’s lucrative international arms trade—putting an estimated $1.5-2 billion annually into the accounts of Israeli arms manufacturers. Israel, likewise, has displaced Russia as New Delhi’s number one arms supplier, recently completing the sale of a $1 billion Phalcon radar system to New Delhi, with Washington’s approval.

After the Indian government carried out tests of its newly developed nuclear bomb in 1998, Washington, London, and other imperialist powers curbed technology exports to the country—as well as to Pakistan, which had also exploded an atomic bomb. Tel Aviv, which has developed its own clandestine nuclear arsenal, felt no constraints whatsoever towards such sales to the Indian regime. The two governments are also sharing intelligence and increasing military co-operation. Indian special forces are receiving training in Israel. The two are facilitating this collaboration through a “counterterrorism working group.”

“India might pretend this is simply about buying arms from Israel and nothing more,” said Bharat Karnad, who played a central role in drafting New Dehli’s nuclear doctrine. “But the level of intelligence co-operation on Pakistan is more extensive [with Israel] than with the United States. This is a strategic relationship.”

Much of the intelligence sharing has to do with Muslim groups deemed as “terrorist” by both regimes, a number of which have been operating out of Pakistan.

Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Sharon will be meeting on the anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, which they plan to use to paint their growing relationship as partners in Washington’s “war on terror.”

“Terror is the major issue and challenge for both countries,” said Yaron Mayer, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy to India. “We understand each other and we see each other in similar terms.”

India’s national security adviser, Brajesh Mishra, suggested in a May speech to the American Jewish Committee in the U.S. capital that New Delhi, Tel Aviv, and Washington should unite to fight “the common threat of terrorism.”
 
 
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