Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site eneevax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!eneevax!velu From: velu@eneevax.UUCP (Velu Sinha) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.nlang.india Subject: Israeli Indian Relations Message-ID: <425@eneevax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 26-Nov-85 13:15:56 EST Article-I.D.: eneevax.425 Posted: Tue Nov 26 13:15:56 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 29-Nov-85 08:11:41 EST Distribution: net Organization: U of Maryland, EE Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 63 Xref: watmath net.politics:12211 net.nlang.india:830 >From J. Abeles: (abeles@mhuxm.UUCP) > >I don't want to be presumptuous. However, presuming that >you are East Indian, are you aware of the policies pursued by >the Indian government which prevent Israeli Jewish scientists >from attending scientific meetings in India? Check out the >letters section of the most recent issue of PHYSICS TODAY >for a personal account of Natan Andrei, an internationally >known scientist (whom I am acquainted with) and who was denied >a visa when it was revealed that he travels under an Israeli >passport. Would you defend such policies, I wonder? India does not have diplomatic relations (or didn't until very recently - there was some talk of opening of consulates, etc... a few months to a year ago) with Israel. This is because Indian jews WERE NOT ALLOWED to EMIGRATE to ISRAEL. (by the Israeli government (I guess if it was by the Israeli government, then the term should be Immigrate, but I am not sure) ). There was some doubt as to the "purity" of the Indian jews, and this was just one of the reasons why diplomatic relations where not formed. India was against the formation (as much as it could have been, since the formation of Israel, and the independence of India occurred very close together) of Israel because it did not see a viable leadership for Palestine. Since the Palestinians (sp?) had no viable leadership, India knew that the formation of Israel, and the splitting of that land would plunge the region into chaos. It did. Also, India has grave problems with the way the S. Africans have treated non-Afrikaaners (sp?), or non Whites. Regardless of the PERSECUTION of the Blacks in S. Africa, Israel continues to be one of S. Africa's 5 largest trading partners, and vice-versa. The military cooperation between S. Africa and Israel is also well known - why should India have diplomatic relations with a country whose peers in the fellowship of nations happen to be such biggots (as in S. Africa)? Note please, that the Indian National Academy of Sciences will insure safe passage for any Israeli/Jewish scientist into and outof India. As well as treat him/her with the same respect and courtesy as a scientist from any other country. This can be seen by looking at the number of scientists whose visa's were denied for attending the IEEE Cybernetics conference two years ago, and the IAU (International Astronomical Union) conference taking place presently. (None) I do not have access to Physics Today at this moment, but I will go and read the account of the Scientist whom you mention. From the IAU propaganda which I received, and from the IEEE propaganda from 2 years past, I am sure that the INAS had convinced the Foreign Affairs Ministry that their policy of excluding scientists who travelled on an Israeli passport would definitely hurt the conference. I agree, as a scientist, that the bounds which are put on the free flow of scientific personnel/data by POLITICIANS should be stopped, and the scientific community in India seems to support this argument, as do I. It is very unfortunate that the governments of India and Israel cannot work out an agreement to this end.