The Diplomat magazine, which is based in Washington, published a lengthy report by Bangladeshi writer Janatwal Pyal in which he explains the change in India’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the change in this position from strong support for Palestinian rights to strong support for Israel.
The writer began with a historical narration of the Indian position on the conflict and its fluctuations, saying that India voted in 1947 against Division of Palestine In the United Nations General Assembly, it was the first non-Arab country to recognize Palestine’s libiration organisation The sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974, and it was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine in 1988.
He added that when India recognized the creation of Israel in 1950, it did not establish diplomatic relations with it until 1992, and previous Indian governments mostly maintained quiet relations with Israel.
Strong support for Israel
However, on October 27, India took a much stronger pro-Israel stance than is usual during Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, and was among the countries that opposed the United Nations resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza.
The writer noted that only a few hours after the launch of the Islamic Resistance Movement,agitationIts attack on Israel on the 7th of last month was the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi One of the first world leaders to condemn this attack.
The writer quoted Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center for Research in Washington, as saying, “India views the current conflict as a war to combat terrorism, and views the Israeli attack on Gaza as an operation to combat terrorism.” It considers that counter-terrorism operations should not stop for the sake of humanitarian truces.”
Kugelman continues that since the beginning of the current war, pro-Israel marches have become a regular event in India, while Palestinian solidarity has consistently been met with a crackdown, with the government targeting pro-Palestine protesters as well.
He indicated that online accounts from India are among the main distributors of anti-Palestinian fake news on social media sites. Such as: Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Reasons for change
The writer then went on to explain why India’s policy changed towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, beginning with an appearance Hindu nationalism In India, the electoral “agenda” of the current government, its efforts to maintain good relations with the United States at all costs, and the ultimate goal of Hindu nationalists, which is to establish permanent Hindu supremacy over Muslims.
He added that when New Delhi wanted to join the global economy and get closer to the United States, it began to approach Israel, and during the era Narendra ModiThe relationship accelerated to the point of a strategic relationship, and the Modi government continued to promote that supporting Israel would help India return to a Hindu state and transform India into a global power.
The writer does not believe that all people in India are supportive of Israel, as there are many who support justice and self-determination for the Palestinians, but in light of the current climate in India, it is difficult to show this support publicly, which was agreed by Ashok Swain, professor and head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. In Sweden.
The rise of Hindu nationalism
Swain was quoted as saying that the change in India’s policy was caused by the rise of Hindu nationalism, and since the Indian media is largely influenced by the Hindu nationalist government, it tends to adopt a more hostile rhetoric towards Palestine.
Swain, who serves as UNESCO head of international cooperation in the field of water, added that he believes that the majority of Indians still support the Palestinian struggle for independence.
“The Modi government believes that as long as the war in Gaza continues, media attention will be directed towards condemning Hamas, which it sees as an opportunity to further inflame it,” he said.“Islamophobia” within Indian society.
Hostility to Islam
Biel said that Pamela Philipose, a prominent journalist and researcher based in Delhi, concluded that the Indian government believes it can benefit from portraying Hamas as a “representative of Islamic terrorism” and its support for Israel as part of its anti-Islamic political orientation, stressing that India “views its relationship with… “Israel and the United States are among her main priorities,” which is the reason behind her government’s current pro-Israel stance.
The writer said that the Modi government believes that its pro-Israel stance helps alleviate Western concerns about its close relations with Russia regarding the Ukraine war. Due to deteriorating relations with Canada, Modi is seeking Biden’s support to avoid public rebuke from the West over the killing of a separatist from… Sikh On Canadian soil.
Hindu nationalism and Zionism
The writer also conveyed what Swain and others see as the existence of great commonalities between… Zionism and Hindu nationalism. According to them, both “ideologies” share many similarities, including their goals being expansionist and exclusionary.
Both movements describe India and Israel as having originally been Hindu and Jewish civilizations, respectively, but having been “polluted” by outsiders, or specifically Muslims, and their ambition now is to restore them to their former glory as Hindu and Jewish states, respectively.
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