Israel-Hamas war

India's Position on Israel-Hamas Contradicts Its Two-State Solution: Ex-Envoy

14:42, 10 October 2023
© AP Photo / Nasser Nasser
Dhairya Maheshwari
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Prime Minister Modi declared his ''solidarity'' with Israel and strongly denounced the reprehensible ''terrorist'' attack perpetrated by Hamas, which marked their most devastating act to date.
Sputnik
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-Israel stance on the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel doesn't reflect New Delhi's long-standing commitment to a two-state solution and solidarity with Palestine, a former Indian ambassador to the Middle East has told Sputnik India.

“Prime Minister Modi has referred to the attack by Hamas as a terrorist attack. I believe that the statement was ill-advised and the Prime Minister wasn’t fully briefed by the diplomats. It seems to be more of a spontaneous feeling that a friend is in trouble, and we are ready to support it,” opined Talmiz Ahmad, New Delhi’s former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ahmad explained that the Prime Minister's statement might be attributed to the ''ideological affinity'' between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Likud-led coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Our Prime Minister has also built-up a personal relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Ahmad added.

The personal rapport between the two leaders made headlines when Modi visited Israel in 2017. In their public conversations, Netanyahu has described Modi as a "great friend".

Despite Modi's seemingly pro-Israel stance, as evidenced by the recent statement, the Indian prime minister has walked a fine line on the Palestinian issue since coming to power in 2014. India recognises support for Palestine as an "integral" part of its foreign policy. In 2018, Modi became the first Indian leader to make an independent visit to Palestine.

Year after year, the Indian leader has consistently reaffirmed New Delhi's unwavering support to the Palestinian cause, demonstrating unwavering support on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Significantly, India's main opposition Congress Party, which has been in power for most of India's post-independence history, reaffirmed its commitment to the two-state solution when it passed a resolution in support of Palestine on Monday.

Meanwhile, India and Israel are strategic partners, with wide-ranging cooperation in critical sectors such as defense, technology and counter-terrorism. Israel is widely believed to have played a crucial role in providing military support to India during the Kargil War of 1999, when the country was under attack by militants supported by Pakistan.

‘Hamas Attack Can’t be Characterized as Terrorism’: Ahmad

Ahmad firmly contended that Hamas' attack should not be labeled as terrorism, for it originated from Gaza, a region that has long suffered under the ''continuous and illegal'' occupation by Israel.

“Hamas, as we all know, is living under occupation and it isn’t a UN designated terrorist grouping. Under international norms, the one living under occupation has the right to liberate oneself. As well all have seen in the past decades, Israel has been carrying out innumerable atrocities against Palestinians in the occupied territories, which include West Bank and Gaza.''

While Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, the European Union and some Western allies, it hasn't been designated as such by the United Nations (UN).
The ex-Indian ambassador, with vast expertise in the Middle East, highlighted that Israel's active promotion of settlements in the "occupied territories" of the West Bank and Gaza blatantly disregards not only the Oslo Accords of 1993 and 1995, but also violates the principles upheld by the United Nations.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in 2016, calls on Israel to stop its settlements in Palestinian territories.

"In the Oslo Accords of 1993 and 1995, Israel always committed itself to resolving the final status issue of Palestine. Israel also agreed that Palestine would have a sovereign and viable state with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, Israel seems to have no interest in seriously pursuing such an option," Ahmad said.

“It doesn’t want to concede anything to Palestinians,” added the ex-diplomat.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 6,400 Palestinians have tragically lost their lives due to the ongoing conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian territories since 2007 until August of this year.
Israel, on the other hand, has suffered 308 deaths in the same period. According to reports in Israeli media, the recent coordinated air and ground attack by Hamas over the weekend resulted in a tragic loss of more than 900 Israeli lives.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that the number of casualties caused by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) strikes in Gaza has reached a heartbreaking total of 687 lives lost.

‘No Normalization in West Asia till Two-State Solution Realised’

Ahmad further emphasised that the recent escalation of hostilities in Israel has completely dispelled any notions of Arab-Israeli normalisation, thereby shattering the myth surrounding the Abraham deal, a historic agreement brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain.

"As far as the two-state solution is concerned, it remains the central issue of West Asian politics. Unless the Palestinian issue is addressed seriously and effectively, there can be no question of peace in the region," the former ambassador said.

"Israel must accept that it belongs in West Asia and that it must address the legitimate security concerns of the Palestinians," Ahmad stressed.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has been making continued efforts to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia for the purpose of fostering normalisation of ties with Israel.

"But now the Abraham Accords seem to have fallen apart because of the escalation of the conflict," the former Indian diplomat concluded.

Israel-Hamas war
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Israel-Hamas warIsraelPalestineIndiaHamasThe United Nations (UN)Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Joe BidenDonald TrumpNarendra Modicross-border terrorismcounter-terrorismterrorismdefense sectordefense pactIsrael Defense Forces (IDF)Saudi ArabiaUAEBahrainMiddle EastIndian National Congress (INC)
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