Will Modi’s Palestine ‘Bonding’ Complicate Things With Israel?

When PM Modi visits Israel, he will be the 1st PM to do so. Will India’s relations with Palestine complicate matters?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) greets Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in New York. (Photo: PTI)

Last year when Prime Minister Modi was in New York for the UN General Assembly, one photo-op that did excite the media was his bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

For many, a Modi-Netanyahu meeting was inevitable. The warm relationship that the BJP shares with Israel is well known and was expected to get more intimate with Modi at the helm.

Simultaneously, there were predictions that the bonhomie would come at the cost of India’s support for the Palestinians.

India’s ‘Bond’ With Palestine

But that fear has not been borne out. There has been no substantial change in India’s Palestine policy. Aid, support at multilateral fora, and scholarships continue as before.

That explains the recent meeting that Modi had with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York on September 28 on the sidelines of the 70th UNGA.

‘Bonding with Palestine’ is how MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup captioned Abbas’ picture with Modi. This reaffirms that the Modi government continues to pursue the policy of previous governments regarding Palestine.

Last year India voted for a UN commission to probe into possible Israeli war crimes in Gaza during its military operations there. It desisted from voting on a resolution to welcome the report of the commission.

But this stemmed more from the government’s concerns on the role that Hamas has played in fermenting terror in Israel. It is noteworthy that Hamas has recently been designated as a terrorist group by Egypt – an Arab country.

• Modi’s photo-op in 2014 with Israel PM Netanyahu raised fears about India’s Palestine policy
• Modi’s meeting with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas at 70th UNGA has put those fears at rest

• India has pledged $5 million in aid for Gaza’s reconstruction
• India acquired 10 Heron TP drones from Israel at almost $400 million
• India needs help from Palestine to secure the release of 39 Indians held captive by the Islamic State

Flag Raised for First Time

Nevertheless, the Modi government continues to vote for Palestine in all other UNGA resolutions. It also continued to sponsor the resolution – ‘Right of the Palestinian People to Self-Determination’.

India has pledged $5 million in aid for Gaza’s reconstruction.

Palestinian flag flies beside the flag of the UN after being raised by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a ceremony during the UNGA. (Photo: Reuters)

It needs to be noted that the meeting with Abbas comes few days before the Palestinian flag was raised for the first time at the UN. The meeting also comes soon after reports that a senior aide of Netanyahu had visited Delhi in a bid to expedite the Prime Minister’s visit to Israel.

Modi’s Business Sense

Modi is astute enough to know that India needs investments from the Arab world. So he is unlikely to get so cosy with Israel and lose favour with the Arabs.

An Israeli drone flies over the West Bank city of Hebron. (Photo: Reuters)

At the same time, India needs to make key defense purchases from Israel. Israel too, is happy to ink lucrative defense deals with India. Just days before the Modi-Abbas meeting, the Indian government approved the Air Force’s request to acquire 10 Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries at almost $400 million.

Also on the Agenda

But Modi also wants to Palestinian help for the release of the 39 Indians taken hostage by ISIS. Indian intelligence sources say the collapse of the Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi regimes have damaged the networks they had built up in West Asia.

The Palestinians through their diaspora communities across the region can provide invaluable help in this regard.

Islamic State militants lead their captives. (Photo: Reuters)

Thus all speculation regarding demoting ties with Palestine can be put to rest.

After all, it is under this government that the first foreign secretary level talks between India and Palestine took place, clearly suggesting that the Modi government is giving full importance to the relationship.

President Pranab Mukherjee is set to visit both Israel and Palestine soon. Modi may take his own time to make a visit there but he knows that neither side can be too upset. Just as the photo-op with Abbas cannot hurt the Bihar elections. 

(The writer is a Delhi-based freelance journalist.)