Tel Aviv model: Israeli politics is unstable. But key policies are stable. A lesson for other democracies

Source: The post is based on an article “Tel Aviv model: Israeli politics is unstable. But key policies are stable. A lesson for other democracies” published in The Times of India on 2^nd November 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – International Relations

Relevance: Israel economy and lessons for India

News: Israel voted for the fifth time in four years and the results could lead to a change in the government. This shows that here has been political instability in Israel. However, this political instability has not affected the growth of the nation.

How has Israel focused on its growth?

Pandemic: Israel rolled out Covid vaccines along with early booster dose to mitigate ethe effects of pandemic on its economy. Israel was open during the Omicron wave and the it achieved achieve 5. 2% GDP growth that year.

Hi-tech industry: Israel’s hi-tech industry has grown remarkably in the last four years. It saw a 136% increase in 2020 and Israel also raised $25 billion at the end of 2021 for its hi-tech sector.

Foreign policy: Israel has entered into normalizing its ties with Arab Nations (UAE, Bahrain and Morocco) through Abraham Accord. It has also joined hands with India, UAE and US through I2U2 platform. The platform focusses on boosting infrastructure, food security, access to energy and strengthening economic partnerships in the region.

How other democracies including India can learn from Israel and what can be way forward for India?

The policies of Israel show that irrespective of political turmoil, its economy is intact and even growing. This lesson has to be learnt by democracies like India that political changes should not affect the country’s growth.

Moreover, India should continue strengthening its partnership with Israel particularly to build cooperation with the Israeli tech and agriculture sectors. It should also focus on negotiating a free trade agreement with Israel.