Not-So-Strange Bedfellows

August 7, 2010: America, India, Britain and Israel have all signed intelligence sharing agreements with each other, to better track Islamic terrorists operating in their territory, and planning attacks against all four countries. This is more than exchanging names of terrorists, or terrorist suspects. These four countries compare what they have on terrorist tactics, recruiting training, propaganda and fund raising, and occasionally plan and carry out joint operations. Many other countries (Russia, most NATO nations, and several Moslem states) have also entered into counter-terror cooperation deals, but not to the extent of these four nations. That's because America, India, Britain and Israel are all at more risk from Islamic terrorism than anyone else, and because these four nations have the most resources to deal with the problem. Thus these nations are careful about who they share information with, as just the knowledge of what they know, can reveal sources (who they got it from) and methods (how they collected it, especially electronically).

Even with all these agreements, the four nations do not share equally with each other. Britain and the U.S. have the longest, and closest relationship. Israel and America are also tight when it comes to counter-terrorism. Israel proved very useful in Iraq, where they helped the Americans implement counter-terror tactics that had been used a few years earlier to shut down the latest Palestinian terror campaign.

India has been on the receiving end of Pakistani supported Islamic terrorism for over two decades. While India has been close to Britain, relations were rather more strained with the United States (because India held itself up as a left-leaning neutral during the Cold War.) The leftist and Cold War attitudes have abated in the last decade, and India has become quite close to Israel and the United States, and even closer to Britain, at least when it comes to dealing with Islamic terrorism.

Israel has also provided India with tactical advice, and modern sensors and electronics for helping stop Islamic terrorists from sneaking in from Pakistan. Israel has also tried, with limited success, to impress on Britain and the United States the true attitudes of Islamic nations towards the West. Many Israelis can speak and read Arabic, and see the anti-West, anti-Infidel (non-Moslem) slant in Arab media all the time. When speaking in English, or whatever language their non-Moslem audience uses, the Arabs play down the constant hate. But this goes a long way towards explaining all those opinion surveys that show the hatred towards non-Moslem world in Islamic countries. This has been going on for decades, but only the Israelis really know and appreciate it.

Study on behalf of Foreign Ministry ranks India, US as most pro-Israel countries

Itamar Eichner

Published: 04.03.09, 23:18 / Israel News

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3696887,00.html

The greatest level of sympathy towards Israel can be found in India, according to international study on behalf of the Foreign Ministry, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.

According to the study, which was unprecedented in scope and was undertaken by an international market research company, 58% of Indian respondents showed sympathy to the Jewish State. The United States came in second, with 56% of American respondents sympathizing with Israel.

The study was undertaken as part of the “Branding Israel” project and aimed at looking into Israel’s international stature at what researchers characterized as the world’s 13 most important countries, including the US, Canada, Britain, France, China, and Russia. A total of 5,215 people took part in the study.

Other countries that showed significant sympathy to Israel included Russia (52%) Mexico (52%) and China (50%). At the bottom of the list, the study ranked Britain (34%) France (27%) and Spain (23%) as the least sympathetic countries towards Israel.

America, India, Britain and Israel have all signed intelligence sharing agreements with each other, to better track Islamic terrorists operating in their territory, and planning attacks against all four countries. This is more than exchanging names of terrorists, or terrorist suspects. These four countries compare what they have on terrorist tactics, recruiting training, propaganda and fund raising, and occasionally plan and carry out joint operations... are all at more risk from Islamic terrorism than anyone else, and because these four nations have the most resources to deal with the problem. Thus these nations are careful about who they share information with

Thanks James C. Bennett.

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