126 recognition without relations
were good. Many people were keenly interested in its achievements....
The trouble was that there was a strong Arab reaction to the establish-
ment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.^111This view was shared by others. Nehru’s close confi dant Krishna Menon
told Michael Brecher that if India “had sent an ambassador at that time
[that is, soon after recognition] there would have been no diffi culties.”^112
Morarji Desai, who was prime minister from 1977 to 1979, refl ected simi-
lar sentiments.^113
Bitter over India’s posture, the veteran Israeli diplomat Ya’acov Shi-
moni observed that in the initial years, “our policy was to ask for an ex-
change of ambassadors on every possible occasion... but we have some
pride left.... We were tired of being told, ‘Please do not worry us’ and
being put off repeatedly.”^114 Refl ecting Israel’s disappointments, Ben-
Gurion remarked: “Nehru too claims allegiance to neutrality.... He is
not even neutral in regard to Israel and the Arabs, for he has close ties
and normal relations with the Arab countries— but he has stubbornly
refused to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, and in his frequent
visits to the Middle East he has on every occasion— and not by accident—
overlooked Israel.”^115
Interestingly, in 1960 the Indian lawmaker and former minister Raj-
kumari Amrit Kaur visited Israel and met Prime Minister David Ben-
Gurion. The latter explored the idea of inviting Nehru to Israel and ex-
tended a formal invitation on July 28, 1960.^116 Within a fortnight, Nehru
expressed his inability, saying, “it is not easy for me to go abroad fre-
quently,” and chose to add the following: “it occurs to me that in the cir-
cumstances existing today, it will not be advisable for me to pay such a
visit. Instead of improving international relations, it might have the op-
posite eff ect.”^117 Such an attitude did not prevent Nehru from visiting the
Gaza Strip during his visit to Egypt in May 1960.^118
Consular Relations
While the establishment of diplomatic ties was bogged down in
po liti cal controversies and supposed economic constraints, New Delhi
was more fl exible regarding the Israeli request for opening a representa-
tive offi ce in India. The latter falls into two distinct categories, namely, an
immigration offi ce and a consular offi ce. Even before the establishment