By: Gary Fitleberg
jewsinthenews4@yahoo.com
September 08, 2003

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with an emphasis on Middle East affairs.

India’s and Israel’s bond is closer than ever before. Communities abroad in the U.S. are mirroring current developments to establish diplomatic relations in their homelands. Both will benefit culturally, economically, politically and strategically in the developing alliance.

In July, pro-Israel and pro-India lobbies in Washington, D.C. held a joint reception for senators from both sides of the aisle, prompting a reporter for The Washington Post to call it a "cacophony of accents" where "women in saris mingled among men in yarmulkes."

Tom Lantos, the Democratic Congressman from California, a Holocaust survivor, greeted the reception, emphasizing the commitment of Jews and Indians to respecting others, rule of law and democracy, and adding that lately the two lobbies have grown closer, because of a shared enemy of fanatic Islamic terror.

Cooperation between the lobbies only began in recent months but has already recorded some successes, including approval for the Phalcon airborne radar system sale from Israel to India, as well as an amendment added to an aid to Pakistan bill that requires the White House to report to Congress on Pakistani government prevention of infiltration into India. The next goal is to win congressional approval for an Arrow missile system sale to India.

Pakistan objected to the sale by Israel and approved by the U.S. to the Phalcon defense military system to no avail. President Pervez Musharraf, in an effort to balance this development between India and Israel also explored the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and Pakistan but he faces both strong external and internal pressure from extremist fundamentalist Islamists.

Indian commentators are enthusiastic about the relationship. "This is the fulfillment of Pakistan's worst nightmare," wrote Indrani Bagchi, an India Today commentator early in August.

There are about 5.2 million Jews in the U.S. and about 1.8 million Indian immigrants. According to a Merril Lynch study conducted in May, the Indian community doubled in size during the1990s, making it the fastest growing immigrant community in the U.S. Their median income is about $60,000 a year - many are employed in high tech - nearly twice the national average.

But unlike the Jewish community, which has 37 people in Congress, far beyond the Jewish population's proportions in the U.S., they are not politically organized. There's not a single representative of Indian descent in the national legislature.

That's one of the reasons the pro-Indian lobby regards the newfound ties with the pro-Israel lobby so important. "They are not organized around a temple, church or mosque," said American Jewish Committee staffer Eran Lerman, " and that makes it difficult for them to organize."

The AJC is planning to open an interests office in New Delhi and in November, AIPAC is planning to send a high level delegation of donors to India on a fact-finding mission. That same month, the Wiesenthal Center is sending an exhibition on the Holocaust to the Mahatma Gandhi Museum in New Delhi.

"The idea is to create cultural ties and not merely strategic military ties," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Wiesenthal Center.

One must keep a very close eye on the developing diplomatic relationship between India and Israel because it is sure to also influence developments with neighboring nemesis Pakistan in the end ultimately.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Gary Fitleberg