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Why India's Recognition of Israel Took Until 1950
India recognised Israel on 17 September 1950, more than two years after Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. Nehru's papers show that by February 1949 he privately accepted that Israel had come to stay. The delay was about timing. He held back for four reasons. The first was the Congress party's long commitment to an Arab-majority Palestine, which was tied to its rivalry with the Muslim League. The second was fear of angering Indian Muslims after partition. The third was the need for Arab support at the United Nations over Kashmir and against Pakistan. The fourth was a wish not to disturb India's Asian diplomacy, especially a January 1949 conference on Indonesia. Cabinet colleagues, senior diplomats, the Hindu Mahasabha and Indian Jews pressed for recognition. It came only after Turkey and Iran had recognised Israel first. Full diplomatic relations followed on 29 January 1992.
Why India-Israel Relations Took Until 1992
India recognised Israel on 17 September 1950 but did not establish full diplomatic relations until 29 January 1992. For four decades, New Delhi allowed Israel only a consulate in Bombay, which operated from 1953. The delay came from India's vote against the 1947 partition plan, its ties with Arab states and the Non-Aligned Movement, its reliance on the Soviet Union, and concern over domestic Muslim opinion. Israel kept seeking relations and gave India quiet military help in 1971. Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao changed course after the Soviet collapse, the Madrid Peace Conference of October 1991, and India's December 1991 vote to revoke the UN resolution equating Zionism with racism. Foreign Secretary J. N. Dixit announced the decision two weeks after PLO chairman Yasser Arafat said the matter was India's sovereign choice. Defence, farming, and trade ties followed. India's formal support for a Palestinian state did not change.
The Sinai and Palestine Campaign, 1915–1918
Indian soldiers served from the first battle of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign to the last. In February 1915, Indian infantry and camel troops helped defeat an Ottoman attempt to cross the Suez Canal. About 144,000 Indian personnel were sent to Egypt and Palestine during the war. When Jerusalem surrendered on 9 December 1917, Indian Muslim guards were sent to protect its holy places. In early 1918 the British moved most of their own infantry to France, and Indian soldiers replaced them. By the final offensive in September 1918, Indians made up most of General Allenby's infantry and two full cavalry divisions. On 23 September 1918 the Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers captured Haifa, and their commander, Dalpat Singh, was killed. India and Israel now honour this battle together. New Delhi renamed Teen Murti Chowk as Teen Murti Haifa Chowk on 14 January 2018.
The Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel heads the Government, which is the executive branch of the state. The office has existed since 14 May 1948. Its current rules come from Basic Law: The Government, adopted in 2001 and applied from the 2003 election. After an election, the President gives a Knesset member 28 days, plus up to 14 more, to form a government. The Government takes office only when the Knesset votes confidence in it. The Knesset can remove it only by electing a named replacement with 61 of 120 votes. The prime minister can dissolve the Knesset with the President's consent. The Attorney General must approve any criminal investigation of a prime minister. A law passed on 15 July 2026 makes the Attorney General's opinions non-binding on the Government from 1 January 2027. Fourteen people have held the office. Benjamin Netanyahu has served since 29 December 2022. The next election is on 27 October 2026.
The Golan Heights
The Golan Heights is a plateau in southwest Syria. Israel captured most of it in the June 1967 war. Most of the Syrian population left or was displaced. Syria says more than 140,000 people lived there before the war. An Israeli census in August 1967 counted 6,396. Syria tried to retake the plateau in October 1973 and failed. A disengagement agreement signed on 31 May 1974 created a buffer zone patrolled by UN troops. On 14 December 1981 Israel applied its law to the territory. Three days later the UN Security Council unanimously declared that act null and void. Syria has claimed the Golan without a break since 1967. The United States recognized Israeli sovereignty on 25 March 2019, and Colombia did the same on 10 August 2026. The UN counts more than 31,000 Israeli settlers in 35 settlements, and about 29,000 Druze also live there. Since December 2024, Israeli troops have held positions inside the buffer zone.
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