India Israel And Palestine Relations Who Does India Support In IsraelPalestinian Conflict And Why

While speaking at the Open debate on the Middle East, Ambassador TS Tirumurti expressed strong condemnation of all acts of violence and urged immediate de-escalation. He further reiterated India’s support to just cause & commitment to a 2-State solution.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti

India supported the “just Palestinian cause’’ and reiterated its “unwavering support to the two-State solution’’ in its statement at the United Nations Security Council meeting on esclation in East Jerusalem May 16, 2021.

The statement, made by India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti, was the first by India on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

India’s statement at the UNSC Meet
While speaking at the Open debate on the Middle East, Ambassador TS Tirumurti expressed strong condemnation of all acts of violence and urged immediate de-escalation. He further reiterated India’s support to just cause & commitment to a 2-State solution.

India’s Full Statement
•India expressed deep concern over the violence in Jerusalem, especially on Haram Al-Sharif/ Temple Mount during the holy month of Ramzan and about the possible eviction process in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, an area which is part of an arrangement facilitated by the UN.

•India had also expressed its apprehensions on the spread of violence to other parts of the West Bank and Gaza.

•TS Tirumurti stated that the events of the last several days have resulted in a sharp deterioration of the security situation.

•He stated that India condemns the indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel and the retaliatory strikes into Gaza, have caused immense suffering and resulted in deaths including women and children.

•He stated that India has also lost one of its nationals living in Israel in this rocket-fire- caregiver in Ashkelon. He said that India mourns her demise along with all other civilians who have lost their lives.

•India reiterated its strong condemnation of all acts of violence, provocation, incitement and destruction.

•India called for immediate de-escalation and urged both sides to exercise restraint, desist from action exacerbate tensions and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status-quo including in East Jerusalem and surrounding areas.

•India further stated that Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of millions of Indians who visit the city every year.

•TS Tirumurti stated that the Old City also houses the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya- The Indian Hospice, a historic place associated with Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid.

•India reiterated that the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem including the Haram AL-Sharif/ Temple Mount must be respected.

•India also called for immediate resumption of dialogue between Israel and Palestine authorities and reiterated that every effort should be made to create conducive conditions for the resumption of talks between Palestine and Israel.

Who does India support in the Israel-Palestinian Conflict?
•Despite India’s attempts to balance its support between Israel and Palestine, in the UNSC open debate on May 16th, India’s statements were clearly tilted in favour of Palestine as it reiterated its support for the just cause of Palestine and pushed for a two-state solution.

•India appeared to hold Israel responsible for triggering the current violence by starting with expressing deep concern over the violence in Jerusalem, especially on Haram Al Sharif/ Temple Mount and about the possible eviction process in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.

•India also mentioned that the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem must be respected.

•India did attempt to balance its statements by condemning the indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting the civilian population in Israel and the retaliatory strikes into Gaza.

•However, India was notably left out of a tweet posted by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on May 16, 2021, in which he thanked 25 countries for their support against the Hamas attack.

India-Palestine-Israel Relations
•While India shares historic ties with Palestine, its relations with Israel have been blossoming especially in the last couple of years.

•India’s policy on the Israel-Palestinian conflict has seen a major shift from being unequivocally pro-Palestine during the first four decades to a tense balancing act in the last three decades after India built friendly ties with Israel.

•India’s position has also been often perceived as pro-Israel in recent years.

When did India shift to a balancing act from being completely pro-Palestine?
•India’s decision to normalise ties with Israel in 1992, marked the beginning of its balancing act.

•India opened its embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992, almost four decades after it recognised Israel in 1950.

•India had recognised Israel then, as the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru felt that not doing so would create bitterness between two UN members.

•India was the only non-Arab-state among 13 countries that had voted against the UN partition plan of Palestine in the General Assembly that had led to the creation of Israel in 1948.

•India had co-sponsored the draft resolution on the right of the Palestinians to self-determination at the 53rd UN session.

•Further in the 1967 and 1973 wars, India had lashed out at Israel as the aggressor.

•India became the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in 1975.

•India was also one of the first nations to support PLO’s move when it declared an independent state of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem in 1988.

•PLO leader Yasser Arafat was received as head of state whenever he visited India.

•In 1992, PV Narasimha Rao-led government established a diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv. India also opened a Representative Office in Gaza, which was later moved to Ramallah as the Palestinian movement split between the Hamas (which gained control of Gaza) and the PLO.

Two-state solution
•India has been a fervent supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which the PLO is also reportedly in favour of.

•India had voted in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution in October 2003 against Israel’s construction of a separation wall.

•India had voted for Palestine to become a full member of UNESCO in 2011.

•It had also co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolution in 2012 that enabled Palestine to become a “non-member” observer state at the UN without voting rights.

•India also supported the installation of the Palestinian flag on the UN premises in September 2015.

•Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority visited India in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

India-Israel Relations
•India and Israel’s relations have grown immensely from 1992, powered by several important deals in primarily defence, science and technology and agriculture sector.

•There were also many high-profile visits between the two nations with L K Advani becoming the Indian minister to visit Israel in 2000.

•In 2003, Ariel Sharon became the first Prime Minister of Israel to visit India.

•Pranab Mukherjee became the first Indian President to visit Israel in 2015. However, he had during his visit reiterated India’s position on Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestine.

•In February 2018, PM arendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

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