Know how the Israel-UAE-Bahrain peace agreement will benefit India

 

After decades of division and conflict wheels of history turned inexorably last week for the middle east as it witnessed the historic moment when the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements formally establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. This peace deal significantly impacts the geopolitics of the world. This deal reflects the changing power dynamics across the Gulf region. This not only brings the new version of the middle east but the deal opens up new opportunities for India which has a huge stake in the middle east due to its cultural and trade tie-ups. It will likely become more favorable for India. Due to this deal, India will play a much larger role in regional security.

 

 

 

Narendra Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. After this visit, India enjoys close co-operation with Israel in almost every sector from defense manufacturing to space tech to cultural links through rising tourism. India is the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment and Israel is the second-largest defense supplier to India after Russia. Meanwhile, India has also balanced ties between Israel and the other Gulf nations. PM Modi has also been able to cultivate strong relations with the UAE especially lucrative economic links with the UAE as well as with other Gulf countries in fields of energy, IT, infrastructure investment, agricultural trade, etc. In 2019, UAE also awarded PM Modi with the 'Order of Zayed', which is the UAE's highest civilian award as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.

 

Right now, this deal is going to play an important role as the Indian government is trying to build a stronger relationship, particularly with the UAE and Saudi Arabia amidst Pakistan has shifted closer to Iran and Turkey, as Saudi Arabia and UAE have ignored Pakistan’s request to convene meetings of the OIC to discuss the Kashmir issue. Saudi Arabia and UAE are far more concerned about Iran’s role in the region and have gravitated towards their ally US. India should use this unexpected golden opportunity to give itself a bigger role in a region which is its strategic backyard. In first India should ramp up the defense and security relations with UAE. And should restart joint exercises with the UAE, and even Saudi Arabia. The new agreement surely throws more fuel on the fire of a raging Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry that casts a deep shadow across Pakistan.

 

Moreover, with this deal, India will be able to freely engage with Israel and its key Arab partners without needing to walk on a tightrope. However, challenges remain for India in the region, particularly with respect to Palestine. India has long maintained its position in favor of a mutually-acceptable two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine dispute. In 2014, while most of the world expressed their support for Palestine in the open and had under-the-table deals with Israel, India chose to walk a different path. It adopted a de-hyphenation policy between Israel and Palestine. This deal will likely benefit India’s interests in the Middle East but balancing relations with both Israel and Palestine will be now more challenging for India in the coming years. It will force India to make a difficult choice between the two.

 

This will also bring the way for meaningful cooperation in several areas of mutual interest ranging from conservation of water resources and promoting food security to joining hands in the fight against terrorism. India can benefit greatly by expanding its cooperation in many areas including health care, energy, agriculture, cybersecurity, regional security, technology, water, and more.

 

Furthermore, the move may significantly improve the security environment of a region where millions of Indian citizens work. The peace deal benefits the Indian diaspora in the region given that more than 7 million Indians work across the GCC. This will also help India when Iran aligning with China and it has invited Beijing instead of New Delhi to develop the Chabahar port in southern Iran. India’s strategic partnership with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and UAE is a major pillar of India’s relationship with the West Asian region and this historic peace agreement opens a new era of peace and prosperity for the whole of West Asia, India, and the world.