India hosted the ninth Asian Games in 1982. This event once again
highlighted Israel’s misfortunes. Ever since India had hosted the fi rst
games in 1951, Israeli participation had been erratic. While Iran was pre-
pared to invite Israel, with whom the shah had good relations, countries
such as Indonesia were not prepared to accept Israeli athletes. To over-
come this problem, during the 1982 New Delhi Games, a new Olympic
Council of Asia was formed without Israel; this institutionalized Israel’s
exclusion from the Asian Games.^105 Moreover, under Indira Gandhi,
India was highly restrictive in granting visas to Israeli passport holders,
and Israeli citizens and athletes could not attend various conferences and
competitions hosted by India. Even Israeli citizens of Indian origin faced
diffi culties in obtaining visas to visit their families in India.
If all this was not enough, since the mid- 1970s, international attitudes
turned hostile toward Israel. Due to the dynamics of the cold war and oil
crisis, many Third World countries felt it prudent to join with the Arab
countries and began curtailing their po liti cal and economic contacts with
Israel. Even African countries, which benefi ted from Israel, turned their
back on the country following the oil crisis. Anti- Israeli rhetoric became
the theme song of NAM summits, and Israel’s po liti cal interaction was
increasingly confi ned to the West. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
was assassinated in October 1984, Indo- Israeli relations were at rock bot-
tom. They could only improve. And they did improve, eventually.
the years of hardened hostility, 1964–1984 223