Marcy Kuo, author of The Diplomat, regularly engages in dialogue with subject matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers from around the world to gain diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Dr. Yoram Evron, Associate Professor of Political Science and Chinese Studies at the University of Haifa, Israel, and co-author with Rotem Kownah of 21st Century Israel-Asia Relations: Seeking Partners in a Changing World (2023), marks the 429th installment of the Trans-Pacific View Insights Series.
Explain Israel's perception of Asia's strategic relevance to Israel's national interests.
Beginning in the 1990s and continuing to expand throughout the first decades of the 21st century, Asia's importance in Israel's economy, diplomacy, and national security, as well as in its culture and daily life, grew significantly. During this period, Israel cemented significant and enduring diplomatic relations with most Asian countries, helping to change its image as an isolated country.
At the same time, Israel strengthened its active economic and technological ties with Asian countries, which became one of the driving forces behind its economic growth in the early 21st century. These countries, primarily India and other Asian countries, also became important customers for Israel's defense industry, and Israel established various types of security cooperation with these countries.
This has allowed Israel to strengthen its strategic posture in the Middle East, both overtly and covertly – its membership in the I2U2 group, a forum formed in 2022 by India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Israel to advance economic opportunities and perhaps strategic objectives, is just one example. However, as detailed below, Asia's strategic potential for Israel has yet to be fully realized.
We discuss three areas of Asian countries’ strategic priorities for Israel.
One of the most visible signs of Israel's deepening ties with Asia and its evolving approach to the region is the growing collaboration between Israel's network of relationships in Asia and Asia's political-strategic hierarchy. Before the 1990s, Israel's cooperation (often clandestine) was mainly limited to weaker and poorer Asian countries that had little choice but to accept aid from marginalized countries like Israel. In contrast, larger Asian powers maintained minimal ties with Israel (e.g., Japan, India) or none at all (e.g., China).
Since the 1990s, and especially since the turn of the 21st century, Israel's focus, engagement, and strategic interests in Asia have become more aligned with its regional and global importance. As a result, Israel's key partners in Asia now include China and India, two countries of critical importance to Israel's economy, foreign policy, security, and strategic positioning. In the case of China, its importance stems not only from its positive impact on the Israeli economy, but also from the potential political risks it poses and its impact on Israeli-U.S. relations.
Following Israel's top partners, next in terms of priority and strength of ties are regional powers such as Japan, North and South Korea (with North Korea known for its military ties to Israel's main enemy), and Singapore, while countries that were once at the top of Israel's list of regional allies, such as Myanmar and the Philippines, have now fallen lower in the partnership hierarchy.
Examine the geopolitical importance of Asia to Israel in comparison to the global competition between China and the United States.
In recent years, the Sino-US rivalry has spread to other regions, including the Middle East, where both countries are competing to expand their influence. For the US, this effort also involves its Asian allies, which are to some extent coordinating their regional policies. As a result, Asian powers, especially China, India and Japan, have moved away from their previous energy focus and are increasing their political and strategic engagement in the Middle East. This shift is reflected in their alignment with Israel (in the case of India and Japan) and more recently in their conflict with Israel (in the case of China), as seen in developments such as the I2U2 group and their response to the Israel-Hamas war.
At the same time, the spillover of competition between the Sino-American blocs into the Middle East creates new opportunities for Israeli cooperation with Asian countries: Israel already enjoys a strong foundation of security cooperation with India, and North Korea's military support for Israel's enemies creates a shared interest for Israel, Japan and South Korea in countering this state.
Analyze the impact of the current Gaza war on Israel's ability to garner support from Asian countries.
The main factor shaping Asian countries' attitudes towards the war and the level of support they provide to Israel appears to be their relationship with the United States. India's position is further complicated by its sensitivity to Muslim sentiment due to its large Muslim population. Furthermore, a general reluctance to become actively involved in Middle East conflicts influences the level and nature of support Asian countries are willing to provide.
As a result, China has sought to weaken U.S. influence in the region by adopting an anti-Israel stance. In contrast, Japan has more cautiously supported Israel, and India has taken a more balanced approach, weighing its partnership with the U.S. and Israel against its ties to the Global South and its domestic considerations. The most explicit support for Israel comes from Taiwan, which draws parallels between its own strategic situation and that of Israel. However, Taiwan's diplomatic weakness, while highly valued, limits the level of support it can provide.
Assess the impact of potential changes in U.S. policy towards Israel under a new U.S. president and how the Israeli government is likely to take those changes into account in Israel's approach to Asia.
Sino-US competition in the Middle East, Israel’s expanding strategic ties in the region, and the country’s relations with major Asian countries are closely intertwined. To counter China’s growing influence in the Middle East, the United States seeks to build a strategic coalition involving both regional players and selected Asian powers. In this context, US support for Israel is primarily driven by broader global and regional strategic considerations. However, US policy towards Israel is also shaped by domestic factors, some of which are strongly supportive of Israel, while others are less so.
In the long term, strategic priorities will guide U.S. policy and strengthen ties among Israel, America's Asian allies, and Middle Eastern powers, but this trajectory is likely to gain further momentum as strategic imperatives align with domestic political trends.
