Sultan M Hali
The world Zionist movement should not be neglectful of the dangers of Pakistan to it. And Pakistan now should be its first target, for this ideological State is a threat to our existence. And Pakistan, the whole of it, hates the Jews and loves the Arabs. This lover of Arabs is more dangerous to us than the Arabs themselves. For that matter, it is most essential for the world Zionism that it should now take immediate steps against Pakistan. Whereas the inhabitants of the Indian peninsula are Hindus whose hearts have been full of hatred towards Muslims, therefore India is the most important base for us to work there from against Pakistan. It is essential that we exploit this base and strike and crush Pakistanis, the enemies of Jews and Zionism, by all disguised and secret plans. ----David Ben Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister Jewish Chronicle, 09 August 1967
David Ben Gurion's words are still milk and honey to the Indians.
India had been courting the Arabs but colluding with Israel for many years. Finally in 1992, under BJP pressure, the then Congress government in India established formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
It may be recalled that in 1992, cash-starved India desperately needed $3 billion in aid from the World Bank and the IMF that operate under strict US control. It was decided to mobilize the support of the Jewish lobby in the USA to secure the loans. That is how Prime Minister Narasimha Rao became the first Indian head of Government to dump the PLO and openly court Israel according diplomatic recognition to Israel. Former US Congressman Stephen Solarz, who works closely with the Israeli lobby in the US and American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPC) has been guiding Indian lobby in the US. In June 1988, Mr. Solarz headed a delegation of Jewish leaders to India that met Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He handed over a memorandum to Mr. Rajiv Gandhi that called for India's recognition of Israel and the establishment of diplomatic ties.
Recognition of Israel was accelerated by the collapse of the USSR and halt in Soviet arms supply to India. But the tilt had already started when India voted with the US for rescinding a UN resolution that equated Zionism with racism.
Vajpayee government shifted its focus from the Arab nations to Israel. The Asian Age commented that following the Israeli President's state visit to India in 1996 (the first ever), Israel had signed lucrative agreements with the Indian armed forces, including upgradation of India's MiG-21 aircraft and the ageing Jaguars, modernizing the electronic system of its aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, and replacement of Indian Army's 130mm gun barrels with those of 155mm caliber.
In 1996, the architect of India's missile programme, and later the Indian President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam made his first visit to Israel. It is ominous that in May 1998, India exploded five nuclear devices, out of which, it is believed that at least one if not two were Israeli. The Indo-Israeli nexus did not stop there but went a step further and tried to take out Pakistan's nuclear programme like the Israeli aircraft had successfully destroyed Iraqi atomic reactors in 1981.
In June 2000, Shimon Peres' on his visit to India was warmly welcomed by the Indians, especially after the Israeli foreign minister publicly extended his full support for India's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was extended a cold shoulder on his visit to India a week earlier.
This is a far cry from Indian Independence Movement leader Mohandas K. Gandhi's declaration that: "Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code or conduct."
Since 1992, the trade between the two countries has grown from $ 200 million to $ 1 billion and there are more than 150 joint ventures.
According to information gleaned from published sources, Israeli satellite Ofek-5 provide images of Pakistan's atomic and military installations. Israel has delivered the highly advanced Green Pine radar system for Israel's Arrow anti-missile missile, three electronic tracking and command centers and the Rafael version of the Popeye cruise missile.
Jane's Information Group, the world's premier intelligence information source, ominously reported in July 2001 that
"The Indian spy agency RAW and the Israeli spy agency Mossad have created four new agencies to infiltrate Pakistan to target important religious and military personalities, journalists, judges, lawyers and bureaucrats. In addition, bombs would be exploded in trains, railway stations, bridges, bus stations, cinemas, hotels and mosques of rival Islamic sects to incite sectarianism."
With Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's September 7-10, 2003 visit to India, a new chapter of Indo-Israeli collusion opened. Having failed to develop its own AWAC system, India decided to acquire the Phalcon Radars and install them on the Russian IL-76 aircraft. Thus a tripartite agreement was signed on October 10th at the Indian Defence Ministry involving Israeli and Russian defense representatives. In 2006 Indian Army Chief JJ Singh visited Israel and reviewed ongoing projects with Israel, ranging from mounting of Israeli TISAS (thermal-imaging stand alone systems) on 500 BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles and the massive upgrade of 300 T-72M1 tanks to the production of hand-held thermal imagers and LORROS (long-range reconnaissance and observation systems).
Israelis supplied weapons from their operating units when India sought equipment at the height of the Kargil war in 1999. The Indian Army has been using the Israeli manufactured infantry rifles for the past few years in Kashmir and the 750-km long anti-infiltration fence along the Line of Control is fitted with Israeli anti-personnel devices like thermal imagers. The volume of defense business between the two countries can be gauged from the fact that Israel has already supplied Barak missiles to the navy, night fighting devices to the army and the air force, improving the radar network of the IAF supplying, besides hi-tech electronic warfare and information technology.
US-Israel relations are deep rooted; after 9/11 India reoriented its foreign policy to accommodate the changing realities of international milieu and find a position in USA -Israeli camp. The most striking commonality is their perception of Islam as their common enemy and
their common target is illegal acquisition of wealth and resources of the Muslim World. US-India defense engagement has reached to new limits usually reserved for close US allies and friends, ranging from joint exercises in Alaska to sales of military hardware and sharing nuclear reactors, fuel and expertise. The ongoing acts of terrorism in Pakistan's tribal belt are being attributed to this nexus, which portends ominous results, and Pakistan needs to be wary of it as Afghanistan is being used to forward the nefarious aims of the nexus.
The writer is a retired Group Captain of the Pakistan Air Force
