‘No one is asking for material support from India. Israel will fight for itself. It is the political support and understanding that matters a lot’, says Jason Isaacson of American Jewish Committee.
Jason F. Isaacson, Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, American Jewish Committee, Washington, DC, appreciates the unique degree of understanding and support offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Israel’s justified right to defend itself from terror challenges in its neighbourhood. In New Delhi to take part in the 7th India-US Forum, Isaacson, who played a key role in the signing of the Abraham Accords, says he has great faith in the future of India-US relationship. Excerpts from the interview:
Q: How do you see the US-India ties and impact of “Make in India” efforts on them?
A: India is a natural friend of the US and there is a natural relationship that goes back, of course, many decades. It’s a proud, independent, productive, creative society working with the people of America, another populous and pluralistic country. I have great faith in the future of the relationship between India and the US, as well as between India and Israel. There are many commonalities between Indians and Jews.
I completely understand the necessity of bolstering the manufacturing sector in India and I believe that wise trading partners of India, and Israelis are among them, realise that this has to be a part of the new reality if you are to do business here. Whether there is some sort of co-production or some other arrangement, in many sectors that’s going to be part of the deal. India is a huge market, a hugely important market, and if that’s the ticket to do business with India, so be it. It is important for the people of India. The India-US ties are bolstered significantly by the millions of Indian Americans who identify with India. Our two countries are both robust, noisy democracies. India is a pluralistic society, many faiths, many languages, with a deep and fascinating culture that is a source of inspiration for many of us.
Q: How do you see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy?
A: India is an independent nation and it will never be in the pocket of anyone. I have been privileged to meet Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi in America, in India, and during his historic visit to Israel. The warmth that he expresses and the way he was received during that 2017 visit—the famous picture of the beach stroll of PM Modi and PM Benjamin Netanyahu is still fresh on our minds. His feelings for Israel are very clear. He was also an important friend of the Jewish community when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. He has a natural affinity for the Jewish people that is so much understood and appreciated.
Q: What does Israel, which is engaged in a defensive military operation, expect from friendly nations like India?
A: No one is asking for material support from India. Israel will fight for itself. It is the political support and understanding that matters a lot, and my sense is that this is not only government policy but a reflection of popular sentiment in India.
The Indian government and also the American government understand that the Hamas threat needs to be reduced to such a level that it is unable to mount another barbaric terror attack like it did on 7 October; as you know, Hamas leaders have vowed to undertake such attacks again and again. That cannot be allowed.
Q: Which direction do you see the military operation in Gaza proceeding?
A: It will be over in the coming months, likely with decreasing intensity but with the necessary aims of both eliminating the Hamas threat and rescuing the 130-plus hostages still being held in Gaza. What many parties are working toward is a political mechanism that could be put in place. First, a government in Gaza not by Hamas terrorists but by Palestinian administrators in cooperation with moderate Arab states and the US. So providing good governance in Gaza is the point we want to reach.
The operation in Gaza currently is of lower intensity than it was a month ago. The Israeli army, IDF, will need to stay in Gaza for some limited period of time until it fulfils its objectives, so that the displaced people of Gaza can return to their homes and begin the process of reconstruction, and the tens of thousands of residents of southern Israel can, likewise, return to and repair or rebuild their homes without daily barrages of Hamas missiles and the threat of another invasion.
Q: What are the common challenges before India and Israel?
A: Both India and Israel have neighbours who despise them and who are heavily armed. And this includes non-state actors operating in areas that are poorly-controlled by host governments. And both the countries face the same challenges that everyone sees these days. But they also have enormous resources—rich human capital, eager to be educated, eager to achieve, and with strong values. The commonalities between India and Israel are enormous and they have found each other and, in some ways, have fallen in love.
As an advocate on behalf of the Jewish people and as an advocate on behalf of this relationship, it is so gratifying to see how it has developed from the early days when mostly the trade between India and Israel consisted of diamond processing and small value goods. India became a major defence customer of Israel and the cooperation on medical research and manufacturing and other industries including Israeli centres of excellence to demonstrate Israeli water irrigation technique has been remarkable. There is a huge ambition on the part of Israel to reach deeper into India and have more and more connections in the industries, including the hi-tech sector.
Q: What future do you see for IMEC and I2U2?
A: Currently there may be a pause but it will be exciting to see the promise of IMEC and I2U2 develop and to see the benefit these could bring to the people of India and the people of the Middle East. Once we emerge from the current crisis, I am completely confident Hamas will be defeated, good governance will begin to take hold in Palestine; it will be a long process and it won’t be an easy process. I am confident it will take place for the Palestinian people… We will be on a path to some kind of a normal relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, who are neighbours, and who share the land. We have to find ways to do that and I know we can.
To go beyond this, to capitalize on the important relations India has with both Israel and the Arab world, IMEC—which was first announced at the G20 in India—is a perfect model for what could be. Having discussed this across the region, I know the potential that exists for increasing trade, construction projects that will take place, the communication lines that will be opened up, transport from S-E Asia, through South Asia through the Arabian peninsula, through the Mediterranean into Europe. It’s very exciting. We continue to be advocates for that kind of integration of Israel and India together across this region.