Simone Lawson
Israel does not have a written constitution, despite attempts since 1948 to draft one. Instead, Israel has evolved a system of basic laws and rights, which enjoy a semi-constitutional status. Therefore, it is not possible for Israel to have mentioned India in a non-existent constitution. However, this does not mean that the two countries do not have a history of relations. For example, in 2009, an international study on the Arab-Israeli conflict revealed that around 58% of Indian respondents sympathized with Israel, the most positive opinion of any country surveyed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Whether Israel has a written constitution | No |
| Whether India is mentioned in the Israeli constitution | N/A |
| Relationship between India and Israel | India and Israel have a bilateral association and Indian embassies are present in Israel |
| India's perception of Israel | India is considered to be a friendly nation |
| Israel's perception of India | Israel can lend its help and can expect help from India in times of need and commerce |
| Jews in India | Jews have been living peacefully in India for over 2000 years without any discrimination or incidents of anti-Semitism |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Israel has no written constitution
Israel is one of only five countries without a written constitution. When Israel was established in 1948, its Declaration of Independence mandated that a constitution would be written within five months. However, the various groups responsible for drafting the constitution were unable to come to a consensus.
The inability to agree on a constitution was due to several factors. Firstly, there were deep divisions within Israeli society, and the country was facing war, mass immigration, and austerity. As a result, there was concern that the process of writing a constitution could tear the public apart. Additionally, there was opposition from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who believed that a formal written constitution would allow the Israeli Supreme Court to overrule his socialist policies. Ben Gurion also wanted to shift to a majoritarian election system, which would conflict with the existing proportional representation system that a constitution would have entrenched.
Despite not having a single written document, Israel does have a series of Basic Laws that function as quasi-constitutional laws. These laws deal with government arrangements and human rights. The Basic Laws were enacted chapter by chapter, with each chapter addressing a specific topic and being referred to as a Basic Law. The intention was to compile these laws into a comprehensive constitution eventually. However, there is no deadline for completing this process, and the Basic Laws do not cover all constitutional issues.
While some critics argue that Israel's democratic nature would be better protected by a formal written constitution, others, like Professor Eugene Kontorovich, attribute the lack of a constitution to the country's inability to afford one, given the challenging circumstances of its founding.
Understanding Written Warnings: What Are They and When?
You may want to see also
Jews have lived in India for over 2000 years without discrimination
The history of Jews in India goes back to antiquity, with Judaism being one of the first foreign religions to arrive on the Indian subcontinent. The community has lived in the region for over 2000 years without fear of discrimination or persecution from the local Hindu populace. This is in stark contrast to the persecution they faced in many other parts of the world, including by the Portuguese during their control of Goa.
The strong bond between the Jewish and Indian people was highlighted by Consul General of Israel to Midwest India, Kobbi Shoshani, during a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at a synagogue in Mumbai. He emphasized that Jews have thrived in India for over two millennia without any fear of discrimination, a sentiment shared by Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, who celebrated India as a welcoming country for all faiths and cultures.
The Jewish community in India has a long and rich history. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jose of the 2nd century AD mentions the Jewish people of India in his work "Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer." The establishment of synagogues and cemeteries in various cities, such as Surat and Bombay (now Mumbai), further solidified their presence. The Baghdadi Jewish immigrant Joseph Semah, who arrived in Surat in 1730, played a significant role in this. The Jewish community in Madras (now Chennai), established by Portuguese Jews from Livorno, the Caribbean, London, and Amsterdam, also thrived, with prominent traders and philanthropists among them.
Today, the Jewish presence in India continues, although the community is small. There are at least seven synagogues in Kerala, and Jewish communities in various parts of the state, such as Cochin, Kottayam, and Thiruvalla. The synagogue in Surat, established by early Jewish immigrants, was eventually razed, but the cemetery still stands, albeit in poor condition, bearing witness to the enduring presence of Jews in India.
Ancient Constitutional Legacy: Which Country Boasts the Oldest?
You may want to see also
India-Israel agricultural ties
India and Israel have enjoyed bilateral ties and full diplomatic relations since 1992. However, Israel does not have a written constitution. Despite this, India is considered a friendly nation by Israel, and the two countries have a history of mutual aid and commerce.
In 2006, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking the beginning of the Indo-Israel Agricultural Project. This project has resulted in the creation of 30 Centres of Excellence (CoE) across India, with a focus on agricultural practices. These centres demonstrate ways to maximise resources in challenging environments, such as arid conditions, and offer training to over 1.2 lakh farmers annually. The 30th CoE, located in Grignow village, Haryana, is dedicated to semi-arid horticultural crops and was inaugurated in January 2023 to commemorate 30 years of diplomatic ties.
The Indo-Israel Agricultural Project has also led to the establishment of the 'Indo-Israel Villages of Excellence'. In 2022, the Indian government announced plans to convert 150 villages around the CoEs into these 'Villages of Excellence' with technical assistance from Israel. The aim is to provide a platform for the rapid transfer of technology to Indian farmers, introducing new agricultural practices such as protected cultivation, drip irrigation, and fertigation. Israel's expertise in water-related technologies, including advanced filtration, rainwater collection, and water security, is particularly relevant to India's agricultural sector.
In 2021, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to the agricultural partnership by signing a three-year work programme agreement for development in agricultural cooperation. This agreement aims to expand the existing CoEs, establish new centres, enhance the value chain, and encourage private sector collaboration. The Israeli ambassador to India, Dr Ron Malka, emphasised the mutual benefits of this partnership for local farmers and the strength of the growing bilateral relationship.
India's Constitution: A Written Legacy
You may want to see also
Explore related products
India-Israel arms trade
India and Israel have had a close partnership for several decades, with Israel being one of the top arms exporters to India. This relationship has strengthened since 2014 when the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in India. Israel has become the second-largest arms exporter to India, after Russia, with the US, France, and the UK also being key suppliers.
The two countries have been described as "natural allies" and "strategic partners", with defence and security being the most significant areas of cooperation. India's military expenditure in 2021 was the third-highest in the world, and it was the second-largest importer of arms globally between 2016 and 2020. Israel has been a reliable military partner to India, providing arms and urgent assistance in conflicts with neighbouring countries such as China and Pakistan.
The Indian military has been impressed by and enamoured with Israeli technology, which has strengthened its surveillance and operational capabilities. Israel has provided a range of equipment, including sensors, drones, surface-to-air missiles, radar systems, and spyware. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, missiles, and radar systems have dominated India's purchases from Israel, totalling US$4.2 billion between 2001 and 2021.
In recent years, the Israeli government has placed great importance on the Indian arms market, seeing it as its largest and most dependable customer of military hardware. Between 2000 and 2010, India spent around $10 billion on Israeli arms, and since 2014, around 42.1% of all arms exports from Israel have gone to India. During the period 2015-2019, India's arms imports from Israel increased by 175%.
The two countries have also engaged in defence technology cooperation, such as the co-development of the Barak-8 air and missile defence system. They have also expanded their collaboration to include emerging and futuristic defence technologies, with the Indian and Israeli defence ministers signing the 'India–Israel Vision on Defence Cooperation' to identify new areas of collaboration.
The US Constitution: A Dynamic Document Rewritten
You may want to see also
Einstein-Nehru Exchange on Israel and Palestine
In 1947, Zionist leaders asked Albert Einstein to persuade India's interim Government Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to support the birth of a Jewish state. Einstein, arguably the most famous member of the global Jewish community, was a self-declared Jewish nationalist but not an ardent supporter of Zionism. He had declared that the Zionist enterprise was threatened by "fanatical Arabs" in 1938, and he believed that a Jewish homeland could become "a centre of culture for all Jews, a refuge for the the most grievously oppressed".
On June 13, 1947, Einstein wrote a four-page letter to Nehru, appealing to his internationalist credentials and emphasising global justice and equality as reasons to support the Israeli state. He also highlighted the economic benefits of Jewish contributions to Palestine, arguing that this transformation arose from the economic revitalisation of the land and the hard work and creativity of the Jewish people.
Nehru responded to Einstein a month later, on July 11, 1947, with measured tact and firmness. While acknowledging Einstein's sentiments, he refused to adopt a definitive position on the Israel question. He wrote that he had sympathy for both the Jews and the Arabs, recognising the development the Jews had brought to Palestine but questioning why they had failed to gain the goodwill of the Arabs. He also argued that Palestine was essentially an Arab country and must remain so, and that depriving the Palestinian Arabs of their land to create a Jewish state would be unfair. Nehru was against the partition of Palestine and subscribed to the liberal view of a bi-national Arab-Jewish Palestine.
Despite Einstein's efforts, he was ultimately unable to convince Nehru to support the birth of a Jewish state immediately. However, his letters did play a crucial role in influencing Nehru, and India officially recognised the State of Israel on September 17, 1950.
Policing in Early America: Constitution and the Law
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
No, Israel does not have a written constitution.
Excavations at Tel Megiddo show evidence of Indo-Mediterranean trade relations from the mid-second millennium BCE between South Asia and the southern Levant. The presence of turmeric, bananas, and sesame, all originating from South Asia, support this.
Albert Einstein's letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, dated June 13, 1947, was an attempt to persuade Nehru to endorse the idea of an Israeli state. Einstein drew parallels between the struggles of the Jews and the untouchables, appealing to Nehru's internationalist credentials. However, Nehru maintained his stance of not taking a definitive position on the Israel question.
India and Israel have increased cooperation in military and intelligence ventures. Israel is the second-largest source of defense equipment for India, and the two countries have collaborated on anti-terrorism strategies and agricultural initiatives.
