Revision summary
Full diplomatic relations with Israel date from 1992; the last decade made them public and multi-sector. Defence supply, State farm Centres of Excellence, water, space and cyber create path-dependence. The 2017 and 2018 Prime Ministerial visits marked de-hyphenation in optics. India still votes a two-State line and still needs Iran and the Gulf, so politics can cool even if contracts stay. Joint production and State-level agri-water work are the parts least easy to roll back.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD D[1992 full diplomatic ties] --> M[2017-18 PM visits] D --> Def[Defence and UAV sensors] D --> Ag[Agriculture water CoE] Def --> P[Path dependence] Ag --> P M --> P
Conclusion
- Lock the relationship in joint production and co-development under Make in India, so it is a two-way industrial tie, not only an import bill.
- Keep the Palestine diplomatic line honest, so diversity in West Asia does not collapse into a single-alliance image.
- Expand water, farm and innovation cooperation through State Centres of Excellence, which is the part least likely to be rolled back by a change of slogan.
- The statement is largely right: defence logistics, farm and water projects, and the 2017–18 political opening have given India–Israel ties a depth that a quiet freeze cannot easily undo. Rollback is still possible in tone and in UN voting, but the practical relationship now has too many ministries, States and service arms inside it to return to the pre-1992 shadow.
Quick related
Students also ask
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A number of outside powers have entrenched themselves in Central Asia, which is a zone of interest to India. Discuss the implications, in this context, of India's joining the Ashgabat Agreement, 2018.
Next question in the 2018 paper (Q10). View answer →
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Did India drop its support for Palestine when it grew closer to Israel?
No. Official policy still speaks of a negotiated two-State outcome. What changed is the refusal to freeze Israel ties until that outcome arrives.
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Why are defence ties hard to reverse quickly?
Platforms, spares, training and software are long-cycle. A political freeze would leave gaps in unmanned systems and sensors that other vendors cannot fill in one Budget year.
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