Is Israel Really That Isolated?

...The perils for Israel in the hostility shown by many Europeans, and from the BDS movement, are real, but they should not crowd out understanding of the rest of the picture.

Elliott Abrams..
Pressure Points..
01 June '15..

It’s common to hear about Israel’s growing isolation in the world, and UN votes are sometimes held up as evidence of this. The BDS movement, especially in Europe, is also adduced to show Israel’s increasing isolation.

In that context the following announcement is of interest: the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, will become the first prime minister of India to visit Israel. India’s foreign minister made the announcement today; the dates are not yet set.

The BBC supplies some further details:

In 2000, Jaswant Singh of the then BJP-led ruling government became the first Indian foreign minister to visit Israel. Ariel Sharon was the first Israeli premier to visit India in 2003. Correspondents say trade between the two countries has grown substantially – from $200m (£130m) in 1992 to about $4.39bn in 2013. In 2013, India was Israel’s 10th largest trade partner and its third largest trade partner in Asia after China and Hong Kong. Israel has also emerged as a major defence supplier to Delhi.

The Times of India puts it this way: “Narendra Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to travel to Israel, a visit that will finally bring one of the world’s close relationships out of the closet. While dates for the trip are yet to be fixed, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj announced she would visit Israel later this year….”

Israel, China and Membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

...Because the United States seems to have lost the courage of its convictions, it is losing the confidence of its allies. Instead of trying to lobby Western countries (including Israel) not to join the AIIB, America should convince its allies that it is reliable and determined. When America displays moral relativism and weakness, there are consequences. China’s success with the AIIB is one of them, and Israel made the right decision by joining this new bank.

Dr. Emmanuel Navon..
i24 News..
24 April '15..

In October 2014 China established, together with other Asian countries, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The creation of the AIIB was a consequence of China’s exasperation at America’s refusal to reform the Bretton Woods institutions (i.e. the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, and the World Bank) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). For years, China has asked to reform the IMF and the World Bank so as to reflect the global clout of the Chinese economy. But the US Congress is adamant not to yield influence, within institutions dominated by America, to a country it perceives as a threat. As for the ADB, Japan has more voting rights there than China, even though China is Asia’s biggest economy. Since China owns the world’s largest foreign-exchange reserves, it can afford to build alternative institutions and to bypass the United States.

The creation of the AIIB clearly indicates that Asia’s balance of power is swinging to China’s advantage, for this is the first time that America is unable to thwart the creation of a rival Asian financial institution. After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, for example, the United States blocked the creation of a proposed Asian Monetary Fund (AMF). Nearly two decades later, China’s will has prevailed.

Despite its intensive lobbying, America has not been able to convince its allies to stay out of the AIIB. In March 2015, Britain, France, Germany and Italy announced their intention to join the AIIB as founding shareholders. In Asia, major US allies such as South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand have announced that they will join the AIIB despite Washington’s pressures. Even Japan and Australia, which had originally indicated that they would not become AIIB members, are likely to join soon. In the Middle East, Israel just added its name to the list of “rebels” by submitting its application to the AIIB.

Israel’s decision to join the AIIB is but another indication of a growing Israeli readiness to defy US President Barack Obama. The looming agreement between the Obama administration and Iran raises concerns in Israel about America’s reliability. While China will never replace America as Israel’s strategic ally, Israel is definitely taking some eggs out of the American basket.

Israel and What it Really Wants from Ties with China and India

...But Israel can’t rule out the possibility that public pressure will eventually produce more stringent sanctions if Jerusalem continues refusing to capitulate to EU demands on the Palestinian issue that are antithetical to its security. In short, Israel could someday face a devastating choice between its economic needs and its security needs–unless it can diversify its trade enough to be able to weather EU sanctions if and when they occur. And that’s precisely what Israel seeks from China and India, two countries with a history of not allowing policy disagreements to interfere with business

Evelyn Gordon..
Commentary Magazine..
30 September '14..

Writing in Foreign Affairs last week, Rory Miller made the classic mistake of using accurate facts to jump to an erroneous conclusion. He gleefully pronounced the failure of Israel’s effort to convert burgeoning economic ties with India and China into diplomatic capital, asserting that while Israel had expected these ties to “help secure greater international support” for its positions, in reality, China and India have both maintained staunchly pro-Palestinian policies. But though Miller is right about the Asian powers’ policies, he’s utterly wrong about the diplomatic gains Israel hoped to reap from these relationships.

For instance, Miller makes much of the fact that China still votes against Israel on every conceivable issue at the UN. But you’d have to be an idiot–which most senior Israeli politicians aren’t–to expect it to do otherwise.

Flipping China into the pro-Israel camp might be possible if and when it democratizes, since it’s one of the few countries where public opinion actually leans pro-Israel. Indeed, as the Australian paper Business Spectator noted this month, China was among the few places worldwide where Israel was actually winning the social media war during the summer’s fighting in Gaza. And it certainly makes sense for Israel to cultivate this public support in preparation for the day when democratization occurs. But right now, China remains a Communist dictatorship that sees America as its chief foreign-policy rival. Thus as long as Washington (thankfully) remains Israel’s main patron at the UN, Beijing will naturally take the anti-Israel side–not because it cares so passionately about the Palestinian cause (which, unlike Miller, I don’t believe it does), but because it cares about the anti-American cause.

India, despite growing ties with Washington, also has a long tradition of anti-Americanism, as well as a large Muslim minority. Thus New Delhi was never a likely candidate for UN support, either.

And in fact, Miller doesn’t cite any Israeli politician who actually espoused such unrealistic expectations. He simply assumes, on the basis of vague bromides like Naftali Bennett’s “diplomacy can follow economy,” that they must have held such expectations.

But in reality, Israel is seeking a very different foreign-policy benefit from its trade ties with India and China–one it has never spelled out explicitly, for very good reason: What it wants is an economic insurance policy against European countries that it still officially labels as allies.

For Israel a Second Opportunity with China Not to Be Missed

...The very idea that Israel shouldn’t get too close to China for fear of crossing America caused great damage to Israel’s strategic interests in Asia in the past. This mistake should not be repeated. In 1954, the government of Communist China offered to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. But the Israeli government thought at the time that establishing full diplomatic relations with China would incur the ire of the United States, and so Israel rejected China’s request. This was a miscalculation that cost Israel dearly.

Dr. Emmanuel Navon..
I24News.tv..
09 October '13..

This week, the Israeli government approved an ambitious railway project that will connect the Red Sea port of Eilat to the Mediterranean port of Ashdod. The ultimate purpose of this railway is to become a “land bridge” for goods transported between Europe and Asia and thus to compete with the Suez Canal. The construction of the railway might be undertaken by a Chinese company, a prospect that has drawn criticism from former Mossad director Efraim Halevy, who claims that awarding the project to a Chinese company would be detrimental to Israel’s relations with the United States and with Europe. Actually, the very opposite is true.

In January 2009, Israel’s economy and international stature were transformed overnight when the Texan firm Noble Energy discovered gas in the Tamar field in the eastern Mediterranean. This field is estimated to contain 9.7 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, which amount to over half of what the European Union’s 28 nations consume annually. Two years later, in 2011, Noble Energy discovered a huge gas field, Leviathan, which is now estimated to contain 18 trillion TCF. Leviathan alone contains about as much gas as what Europe consumes annually.

Europe is facing a major gas supply crisis due to the spread of instability in Algeria and the rest of North Africa, and because it is eager to reduce its dependence on Russia’s natural gas. About 20% of Europe’s gas supplies come from collapsing states whose populations are reverting to tribalism and to Islamism. The revolts and instability in the Arab world and in Turkey in the past two years have reminded Europe of the potential unreliability of gas and oil supplies from the Middle East and from North Africa. This presents a golden opportunity for Israel to offer Europe an alternative natural gas supply.

Asia may also emerge as an export destination for Israel’s gas. The Australian firm Woodside, which acquired about a third of the rights to the Leviathan field, gives preference to marketing gas in Asia.

The Israeli “land bridge” between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean will enable Israel to leverage the supply of marginally critical amounts of gas to both Europe and Asia. There are serious questions about the viability of the Suez Canal as a major European-Asian transit route because of growing political instability in Egypt.

The Tel Aviv-Eilat railway line? Israel and China today signed historic cooperation agreements

LOTL..
04 July '12..






The latest from Globes:

Israel, China agree to build Eilat railway

Transport Minister Yisrael Katz and China's Minister of Transport Li Shenglin signed the memorandum of understanding in Beijing today.
3 July 12 14:30, Amiram Barkat

Israel and China today signed historic cooperation agreements to build the Eilat railway and future projects, including the inland canal port north of Eilat. Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz and China's Minister of Transport Li Shenglin signed the memorandum of understanding in Beijing.

Katz departed for a three-day visit to China at the head of a 12-member delegation of ministry officials and executives of government companies. The main project on the agenda is construction of a cargo rail line that will link Israel's Mediterranean ports in Ashdod and Haifa with the Eilat Port. There are also plans to extend the line to Jordan's Aqaba Port.

Who is Likely to be the Second-Most Important Country for Israel? China.

Barry Rubin..
GLORIA Center..
29 June '12..





There is a remarkable amount of interest in China about Israel and Jews, as I discovered during a trip to China sponsored by SIGNAL, the Sino-Israel Global Network and Academic Leadership.

The most obvious reason is that the Chinese–one important official called it the “little superpower–perceive that Israel in particular and the Jewish people in general have been success stories. Ten or twenty years ago this would have been less unique in the world. But now, sad to say, it stands out more because the United States and Europe, perhaps only temporarily, are not working very well.

Of course, on a strategic level, Israel and China have some differing interests but these are less important than they may appear to be. China wants to have commerce with everyone, including Iran, and is protecting Syria in the international framework.

Yet China has significantly reduced energy imports from Iran in order to show support for the international efforts against Iran’s nuclear drive and clear signals have been sent to Tehran. Clearly, Chinese interests don’t benefit from Tehran having a nuclear arsenal and being a destabilizing force in the region. As for Syria, Israel’s position on whether the current regime should be overthrown has not been unambiguous.

IMRA - Chinese ownership of Eilat-Tel Aviv Rail as Strategic Decision

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA..
Weekly Commentary..
05 January '12..



The Government of Israel is considering three options for the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail:

1. Israel Government financed project.
2. Private sector project
3. Chinese Government project

Given recent developments in the region, the choice of the third option should be a no brainer.

Let’s put aside the economic considerations, though the odds are good that those numbers would probably also end up favoring the Chinese option, and consider the ramifications of the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail being the property of the Government of China.

The Eilat-Tel Aviv line is to be both a passenger and a freight line.

In fact, the Chinese plan to integrate the line into the worldwide Chinese shipping network with the cross-Israel line substituting for the Suez Canal.

How would Chinese ownership change Israel’s future?

Some rhetorical questions:

1. What Arab country would dare to attack a Chinese transportation facility?

2. What Arab country would dare to interfere with the movement of ships carrying cargo either to or from a Chinese transport line?

3. What international body could vote to impose sanctions impacting the performance of an integral element of the worldwide Chinese shipping network?

And that’s the point. They are indeed rhetorical questions.

We live in a region in which we have no idea as to who or what will share our borders in the months, years and decades to come. It is also world in which there is a real possibility of radical changes in the coming decades in the global balance of power and the attitudes of the global giants .

Facing all of this uncertainty, Israel has every reason to reach out to the Chinese and accept their offer for the Eilat-Tel Aviv rail project.

The sooner the Government of China has a vested interest in the continuous functioning of sea lanes serving Israel and of an Eilat-Tel Aviv rail line the better.

Link:http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=55198


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Israel's opening to China

Caroline Glick
carolineglick.com
09 January '10

The growing power of the UN-based international community is one of the gravest emerging threats to Israel's national security.

This threat stems from two sources. First, the UN-led system of global governance is working to redefine international law by on the one hand whitewashing war crimes by states associated with the majority, and on the other hand rendering it illegal for unpopular countries to take action to protect themselves against aggression. Second, and most important, Israel has become the scapegoat of the UN-led international community. The 57-member Islamic bloc has built an automatic majority for its unrelenting and ever-escalating assaults on Israel's right to exist.

The new - and false - interpretation of international law gives every General Assembly resolution the weight of binding Security Council resolutions and international treaties. Among this new "legal" regime's most dangerous features is its bid to overturn state sovereignty by subjecting leading citizens of weak states to politically-motivated criminal prosecutions under the rubric of universal jurisdiction.

With Israel's right to exist - let alone to defend itself - being denied in an avalanche of General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions, the acceptance of universal jurisdiction is a short step away from turning every Jewish citizen of Israel into an international outlaw.

THIS ESCALATING threat is already hurting Israel's ability to carry out routine relations with foreign countries. Just last week the IDF was compelled to cancel plans to send a delegation of its officers to England for a joint conference on asymmetric warfare after British authorities were unable to promise that their guests from the IDF wouldn't be arrested over spurious war crimes allegations during their stay.