India바카라s support for Palestine dates back to its pre-independence years. However, since 2014, India바카라s Middle East policy under the BJP-led government has witnessed notable shifts.
India바카라s support of Palestinian rights has roots in its own struggle for independence. Mahatma Gandhi, in 1938, famously declared, 바카라Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English.바카라 Post-independence, India stayed consistent on its commitment to the Palestinian cause.
However, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India바카라s foreign policy prioritised strategic and economic interests through a strategic neutrality.
Spurred by its non-alignment policy, from 1947 India had opposed the United Nations바카라 (UN) partition plan for Palestine, the only non-Arab country to do so. Two years later, India vetoed Israel바카라s admission to the UN, recognising the Jewish state only in 1950. However, in continued solidarity with Arab nations and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), India did not establish diplomatic relations at that time.
In 1974, India ratified the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, while also voting in the 1975 UN General Assembly to equate Zionism with racism. India was one of the first non-Arab nations to recognise the Palestinian State in 1988.
With the end of the Cold War, a shift in global geopolitics compelled India to reassess foreign policy. Two decades after opposing Israel바카라s ratification into the UN, India established diplomatic relations with the State in 1992.
Post Cold-War, India continued to be considered a friend of Palestine. For example, India had close ties with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whose visits to India were marked by public displays of camaraderie with Indian leaders, and who was widely regarded as a friend of India. The country also continued to vote in favour of Palestinian resolutions at the UN. Simultaneously, India worked to increase military and technological collaborations with Israel.
By 2014, India바카라s Middle East policy was ripe for notable shifts. Under the BJP-led government, Prime Minister Modi바카라s government embraced Israel, motivated by strategic and economic interests.
In 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee visited both Palestine and Israel, quoting Gandhi바카라s statement on Palestine during his visit to East Jerusalem. Mukherjee바카라s visit was emblematic of India바카라s effort to balance competing interests. In 2017, India condemned the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel바카라s capital, reaffirming its commitment to a negotiated settlement. At the UN, India has maintained its voting patterns in favour of Palestine, including a vote in 2020 opposing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The same year, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit only Israel. In contrast to Congress-era leaders who often visited Palestine alongside Israel, Modi바카라s did not stop in Ramallah. Annual trade between the India and Israel has exceeded five billion USD, with significant investments from both countries바카라 in defence, including missile systems and surveillance equipment.
Since the events of October 7, 2023, Modi바카라s government has been reticent in vocalising support for Palestine in international forums.
Indian politicians have often expressed solidarity with Palestine within Parliament. Debates on Middle East conflicts frequently see references to India바카라s historical support for Palestinian self-determination. During a 2014 Parliament session, members across party lines condemned the violence in Gaza, urging the government to denounce Israeli actions.
On December 16, 2024, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made headlines for carrying a handbag emblazoned with 바카라Palestine바카라 and featuring Palestinian symbols, including a watermelon 바카라 a widely recognised emblem of Palestinian solidarity. The gesture sparked reactions across political lines. Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohammed praised Vadra바카라s move, calling it a 바카라gesture of compassion, commitment to justice, and humanity.바카라
Earlier this year, Vadra condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu바카라s actions in Gaza as 바카라genocidal바카라 and 바카라barbaric.바카라 She also criticised Netanyahu바카라s speech in the U.S. Congress, calling for a global condemnation of his government바카라s actions. Palestinian representatives have acknowledged Vadra바카라s consistent support, with Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Charge d바카라Affaires at the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, personally congratulating her on her recent electoral victory from Kerala바카라s Wayanad constituency.
The BJP, however, accused Vadra of 바카라appeasement politics,바카라 with BJP MP Sambit Patra stating, 바카라From Nehru to Priyanka Vadra, the Gandhi family has always carried the bag of appeasement, never the bag of patriotism.바카라
In October 2023, India reiterated its support for a two-state solution during escalating violence in Gaza, reflecting its commitment to a balanced approach.
In April 2024, India welcomed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for Ramadan, calling it a 바카라positive step.바카라 At the UN, India바카라s Permanent Representative, Ruchira Kamboj, condemned the deepening humanitarian crisis, stating, 바카라The humanitarian crisis resulting from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is simply unacceptable.바카라