At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), India recently voted to condemn Israel’s settlement activities in Occupied Palestinian Territories. It voted for Palestinians’ right to homes and property, and endorsed continued relief efforts by the UN Refugees and Works Agency in Gaza. This was in line with its traditional stance on the conflict in West Asia where it has largely stayed neutral, favouring the “two state solution”. Yet, it is amply clear that India’s response to the conflict post the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel has been like juggling too many balls in the air. Just a fortnight ago, India had refused to participate in a Jordanian resolution at the UNGA seeking an immediate and sustainable ceasing of Israel’s strikes on Gaza, on humanitarian grounds. To be sure, the resolution endorsed by 120 nations was merely symbolic, since Israel continues its military operations in Gaza. But India—as a friend of Israel and an economy that is growing in global stature—adding its voice to those imploring Tel Aviv to stop its disproportionate response to the October 7 attack would surely have sent a signal to the West Asian nation.
At the time, India had officially cited the failure of the Jordanian resolution to “explicitly condemn” the Hamas attack as the reason behind its abstention. However, none of the later resolutions, including the latest one, do this either. India’s stance therefore seems puzzling, more so since it has not moved to officially declare Hamas a terrorist group despite requests from the Israeli government. So, even when India continues to endorse the cause of Palestinian liberation and a two-state solution, the fact remains that Israel seems to be under no pressure from New Delhi to end its strikes on civilians. More than 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, including 4,000 children, and hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless—thus, India’s silence where its voice matters the most is inexplicable.
It is true that India must balance its interests vis-a-vis West Asia carefully. On the one hand, it has carefully built its relationship with Israel since the 1990s, keeping strategic interests in mind. Not only did Israel help India with weapons in its big wars with Pakistan and China, it has also been one of the earliest backers of India in its quest for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Add to this the blossoming technological partnerships and deepening bilateral trade, there is no doubt that Israel remains a key partner for India’s future growth. On the other hand, India’s courtship of Arab powers for a number of reasons—from investment to energy security—makes it difficult to pivot away from the Palestinians.
That said, the present conflict is not an instance where New Delhi can get away with trying to de-hyphenate Israel and Palestine in its pursuit of “balance”. The humanitarian costs of the conflicts are mounting, and the Global South, which India claims to champion, is watching. As bombs and bullets rain on Gaza’s civilians, the Global South would surely grow increasingly wary when lip-service and tactical silence replaces a forceful voice for peace and de-escalation. The government must roundly condemn the Hamas attack, but that shouldn’t prevent it from calling on Israel to immediately cease hostilities. With each passing day, Palestinian civilians suffer more and the radicalisation that Hamas thrives on gets more entrenched.