India and Israel : The Making of a Strategic Partnership

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India-Israel relations refers to the bilateral ties between the Republic of India and the State of Israel. The two countries have an extensive economic, military, and strategic relationship. Israel is represented through an embassy in New Delhi, and one consulate each in Mumbai and Bengaluru. India is represented through its embassy in Tel Aviv. India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment and Israel is the second-largest defence supplier to India after Russia. From 1999 to 2009, the military business between the two nations was worth around $9 billion. Military and strategic ties between the two nations extend to intelligence sharing on terrorist groups and joint military training. India has formal diplomatic relations with most nations, as the world's second most populous country, the world's most-populous democracy and one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. With the world's tenth largest military expenditures, tenth largest economy by nominal rates and third largest by purchasing power parity; India is a regional power, and a potential Superpower. It is India's growing international influence that increasingly gives it a more prominent voice in global affairs. The relationship between India and Israel will captivate scholars specializing in strategic studies, international relations, Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, as well as professionals engaged in diplomacy, government, and military affairs. These chapters were initially featured as a dedicated edition in Strategic Analysis.

Dr. Vaibhav Sainya Associate Professor and H.O.D, Deptt of Political Science at R.D. Dayal College of Arts and Science at Lalitpur. He has throughout brilliant academic career, received Gold Medal in his Postgraduation. He qualified JRF/NET and joined the College in 2008. He has specialisation in International Relation. He has attended thirty six national and eight international seminars and conferences and presented research papers.

Israel is small country in the Middle East, about the size of New Jersey, located on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The nation of Israel-with a population of more than 9 million people, most of them Jewish-has many important archaeological and religious sites considered sacred by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike, and a complex history with periods of peace and conflict.

The defense industry of Israel is a strategically important sector and a large employer, as well as a major supplier of the Israel Defense Forces. Israel is one of the world's major exporters of military equipment, accounting for 10% of the world total in 2007. Three Israeli companies were listed on the 2017 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute index of the world's top 100 arms-producing and military service companies: Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and RAFAEL. The Defense industry in Israel is a strategically important sector and a large employer within the country. It is also a major player in the global arms market and is the 6th largest arms exporter in the world as of 2014. Total arms transfer agreements topped $12.9 billion between 2004 and 2011. There are over 150 active defense companies based in the country with combined revenues of more than $3.5 billion annually. Israeli defense equipment exports reached $7 billion in 2012, making it a 20 percent increase from the amount of defense-related exports in 2011. Much of the exports are sold to the United States and Europe. Other major regions that purchase Israeli defense equipment include Southeast Asia and Latin America. India is also major country for Israeli arms exports and has remained Israel's largest arms market in the world.