There is no plan to have an India-Israel-US axis to fight terrorism, a top Ministry of External Affairs official told rediff.com.

Addressing a gathering at the American Jewish Committee in the US on May 9, National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra had said such an axis would have the moral authority to take bold decisions 'in extreme cases of terrorist provocation'.

MEA officials were quick to clarify that Mishra was only talking about the need for a strong international alliance against terrorism and better cooperation between India, Israel and the US.

Opposition parties have panned Mishra, saying there is no need for such an axis.

The former director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Affairs, Air Commodore (retd) Jasjit Singh, said, "I would be very surprised if he has said this as he is very careful. He does not speak much and that's why when he does, it is of great importance.

"We should not and cannot talk of such an axis in the present circumstances.

"It is in India's interest to forge closer ties with both the countries."

Defence strategist K Subrahmanyam said Mishra meant democracies should fight terrorism together, and not an axis. "We should not forget that it was a special occasion... he was addressing a Jewish gathering," he told rediff.com.

India, Israel and the US are on the hit list of terrorists, and so there will be a tendency to cooperate, he said.

For sometime now, Arab countries have been expressing concern at the growing closeness between India and Israel. India enjoys traditional ties with the Arab world and has always been cautious of talking about its relations with Israel. Its relations with Israel have received a great boost in the recent times, especially after the National Democratic Alliance government took over.

The Palestine embassy in New Delhi told rediff.com its ambassador was willing to discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, but not India's growing relations with Israel.

Though India recognised Israel way back in 1956, full diplomatic relations were established in 1992 only. After the Mumbai blasts of 1993, India made high-level contacts with Israel for cooperation on countering terrorism.

Jasjit Singh said strong relations with Israel would help India have a better say in solving the Palestine issue. He pointed out that several Arab nations have close ties with Israel, 'so what stops India?'

India has procured sophisticated radar, anti-missile systems, advanced avionics for its fighters and has been holding regular training with their special forces. In fact, recently the Cabinet decided to raise a 3000-strong team of commandos from the Central Industrial Security Force for fighting terrorism with Israeli assistance.

Several members of the present government, including Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, Mishra, have visited Israel in the recent past.

Major General (retired) Afsir Karim pointed out that what Mishra said was too general. "It is neither here nor there. It is probably a statement off the cuff. It is too premature to jump into conclusions," he told rediff.com.

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