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The situation in Israel and Palestine has been deteriorating in the recent past. The continuing conflict and the increased violence have led to a humanitarian crisis, with more than 200,000 Palestinians being displaced. India is one of the most significant water users of the shared rivers; this makes it imperative that India play an active role in coming up with solutions. India has also been acknowledged as one of Israel’s closest allies in Asia. This article throws light on how India stands on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
What Is India’s Current Stance on the Israel-Palestine Conflict?
The India-Palestine-Israel trilateral relationship is essential and will continue to be so. However, at this juncture, it is necessary to acknowledge that the bilateral relationships between India and Israel and India and Palestine come into play before the multilateral one. This means the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue to be a source of tension in the India-Israel relationship and vice versa. India has been trying to stay neutral and not take sides in this conflict. This is a significant change from its usual approach, where it actively supported the Palestinian cause. The Indian government has consistently reiterated its desire to remain ‘impartial and objective’ in the conflict. This means that India will continue to provide humanitarian aid and diplomatic support to both sides. With the situation in Palestine worsening post the United States’ decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, New Delhi has tried to adopt a more cautious approach towards the conflict. It has been vocal about its desire to maintain equidistant from both parties.
What Does the Future Hold for India-Israel Relationship?
India and Israel are both democracies, and this is something that sets them apart from the rest of the world. Moreover, Israel’s military prowess and India’s growing economic power have led to a closer relationship. There are currently about 8,000 Indian Jews living in Israel, and a good number of them have been awarded various accolades for their contribution to society. It is expected that these large-scale interactions between the two nations will result in stronger ties and collaboration in many fields. Recently, Israel has been working towards developing its North and has successfully got many Asian countries on board with this initiative. India is expected to be part of this initiative, which will further strengthen the ties between the two nations.
International Community and India’s Pro-Arab Historical Position
India has maintained that it will not take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict, which it believes is a dispute between two sovereign states. Despite Israel being a democracy, India’s pro-Arab historical position has been consistent, given that it has been dismayed by Israel’s incursions into Palestinian territory. When the United Nations General Assembly passed a motion to recognise Palestine as a non-member state in 2011, India abstained from voting. Although India had earlier supported Palestine’s bid for UN membership as an observer state. The Indian government has tried to balance its desire to keep the Palestinians with a need to maintain the long-standing relationship with Israel.
Continued Indian Support for Israel Despite Pressure
India has always maintained that it will not take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict. This has been a consistent position, which has also been adopted in other similar crises. This means that Delhi has tried to maintain equidistant from both parties in this conflict. It is important to note that despite India’s consistent position, it has often been put in a precarious place. This is because many of its neighbours do not support India’s pro-Arab historical work and believe that it should take sides in this conflict. This is particularly true of Pakistan, which has often accused India of being too friendly with Israel. The same has also been true of Bangladesh. Both of these countries have believed that India should change its pro-Arab historical position and support the Palestinians. Despite this pressure from its neighbours, India has consistently maintained that it cannot take sides in this conflict. This has meant that New Delhi has tried to avoid public criticism of Israel despite its belief that the Israeli government has taken steps that have been detrimental to the Palestinians.
Conclusion
The Israel-Palestine conflict is the oldest and most enduring conflict in the world. Given this fact, it is not surprising that the situation has worsened in recent years. The changing political landscape in the world has also impacted this conflict. This article has discussed why India has consistently tried to remain neutral in the Israel-Palestine competition. It has also been explained why Delhi has tried to avoid taking sides in this conflict despite pressure from its neighbours.
