Why is there so little sympathy in India for the Gazans specifically and the Palestinians in general? Why are there no protests, barring some fleeting ones after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s killing, mostly in zones with significant Shia populations, the Kashmir Valley and Lucknow?
No major political party, not the Congress or even others who rely on the Muslim vote such as the Samajwadi Party or the Trinamool Congress, have spoken in anger, forget organising a protest. Some Left intellectual groups did hold a tiny solidarity meeting for Palestinians at Jantar Mantar earlier this week. But it was so small I wouldn’t even call it a picture postcard protest. It was tinier than the postage stamp.
The ‘secular’ parties that spoke out initially retreated into their shells shortly thereafter, confused and I’d suspect more than a bit wary given what looks like the overwhelming pro-Israel mood among the majority in India.
The Congress party waffled as it often does, as it said something on X first, then others disowned this and followed with something more diplomatically nuanced. Only Priyanka Gandhi spoke in outrage. She also has to contest elections in Wayanad, where Muslims make up more than 40 percent of the voters.
We can understand the wariness of the opposition. They all want the Muslim vote, but wouldn’t dare alienate the Hindus. Therefore, the larger question is, why is the larger Indian public opinion so indifferent? Do human tragedies no longer move us? Or, like all great powers, have we also learnt to see all such situations through the prism of politics. Is it, then, just that the Hindus see this purely as an Israel-versus-Muslims issue? The argument could also be that it isn’t seen only through a communal prism, but through one of the national interest.
This week, as Israelis and the global Jewish community hold solemn ceremonies to mark the first anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas, is a good time for us to examine these questions.
The easy temptation would be to link this to the rise of the BJP. That in the Modi decade, Hindutva subsumes our political and strategic worldview and also sets our moral compass. And who’d dare to protest on a campus? The reality isn’t simplistic but simple. As it dawned on me after weeks of reflecting when I watched Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speak at the UN General Assembly. He equated Palestinians and Kashmiris and demanded self-determination for both.
A quick search then showed that not only the Pakistanis but also their friends (Mahathir Mohamad and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2019, for example) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have been hyphenating Palestine and Kashmir. At the UNGA in 2016, Nawaz Sharif mentioned Palestine and Kashmir, and hailed Burhan Wani as a hero and leader of the Kashmiri “Intifada”.
You can search back on the UN website, and this has gone on forever. Just last month, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had personally tweeted equating the “plight” of Muslims in Myanmar (the Rohingya), Palestine and Kashmir. You expect Indians to feel sorry for the Iranians and their proxies now being laid waste by the Israelis? The fact is, we used to be almost this stupid, but are no longer so. I will return to this later.
If the Palestinians care about Indian support, therefore, they first need to go down politely on their knees to Pakistan, Iran, its seasonal pals (Turkey and Malaysia no longer mention Kashmir) and the OIC, and beg them to de-hyphenate them from Kashmir. Or why should India care?
This stupid Pakistani quest for building larger sympathy in the Islamic world by conflating Palestine and Kashmir has lost the former cause in India. All of India resents the Pakistanis harping on Kashmir. In all of India outside the Kashmir Valley, the public opinion is, ‘What Kashmir issue?’ Whatever there might have been was settled on 5 August, 2019, and has now been sanctified by a 63.88 percent turnout defeating the BJP. In the Valley, too, support for Pakistan’s view is diminishing even faster than its fading comprehensive national power (CNP).
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The reason we said that we must avoid the temptation to see this as the usual ‘enemy’s (Muslim) enemy (Jew) is my friend’, is the changed reality of what is called the Islamic world and India’s equation with it.
Israel is probably the most popular country in India since, of course, the disappearance of the Soviet Union. Check out India-Israel relations on the MEA website. It begins by stating that we are strategic partners. Then look at the list of India’s other comprehensive and strategic partnerships. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, among the most powerful Islamic and Arab states, all Israel’s neighbors. They’ve been intercepting Iranian proxies’ missiles aimed at Israel.
As we have often said, including in this article, national interest always trumps pan-Islamism. Their shared strategic threat is Iran, its Shia base, and links with the Muslim Brotherhood. The so-called Muslim world has stopped seeing Palestine as an Islamic issue.
The Middle East strategic and political picture is much more layered and cluttered than some simple Jewish-Muslim or even Sunni-Shia binary. There is no one factor binding it: religion, ethnicity or Third-Worldism. Nationalism rules.
This isn’t a post-Cold War phenomenon. In 1981, Jordan and Saudi Arabia helped Israeli aircraft reach and bomb Iraq’s Osirak reactor. Arab nations feared Soviet-supported Saddam’s Iraq, its exportable Baathism. Countries act in their own national interest, not for somebody’s cause. Either ideological, religious or moral.
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The reason we even debate this in India is because our own Middle East and Israel policy was fully determined by Cold War considerations and we took too long to change. The Arabs were seen to be trouble, western stooges and patrons of Pakistan. I do not know what else would explain an Indian prime minister not going to the UAE for 34 years until Modi’s first visit in 2015.
If you read up on the flip-flops over the creation of Israel, it is a story of grand hypocrisy and great compulsions. India voted against the ‘Partition of Palestine’ in 1947, and in his reply to a four-page letter from Albert Einstein, Nehru justified it by saying leaders have to “unfortunately pursue policies that are essentially selfish”.
On 17 September, 1950, however, India recognised Israel. You want to see hypocrisy? Here’s how Nehru justified it. He said India would have recognised Israel long ago, because it is after all a reality, but “we refrained because of our desire not to offend our Arab friends”.
India, however, watched in dismay as the decades of conflict arrived, especially in the 1960s as the Muslim world—particularly the Arab states—sided with Pakistan. In the 1971 war, Jordan loaned some of its F-104 fighters to Pakistan and the Shah’s Iran offered the PAF sanctuaries in 1965.
All these decades, Israel helped quietly when asked. Indians were watching this and adoring Israel even more. Later in Kargil, aerial bombing only became effective when the Israelis transferred laser guidance kits. It was with bombs rigged with these that IAF Mirage-2000s started hitting the precise targets. Meanwhile, the Arab world and Israel also formally warmed up, the Abraham Accords came, then I2U2 and the IMEEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor).
With such a convergence of strategic interest, the isolation of Iran and the Palestinian belligerents as its proxies, you don’t expect Indians to make the mistakes of the Cold War past. If we used the term ‘stupid’ for this, it was only because there was a long period when our foreign policy was aligned with every anti-western ‘ism’. This is the era of policy determined only by the national interest. Public opinion only takes its cue accordingly.
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You’re really insufferable, right Shekhar Gupta?
Not once did you center the Palestinians in the article. Not once did you try to put that we share our history of being colonialized with the Palestinians. At one point, you even say “Palestinians should….”. Really? If you had written this article during the German Nazi Holocaust, how would it have sounded today. At least read yourself. Stop dancing the tunes of your capitalist masters against humanity. Shame on you.
Democratic dissent means make people feel bad about themselves and their choices. Make people feel bad about choosing to improve their own lives. Make them feel selfish. Use victimhood to appropriate resources. This leftist entitled approach has created folks like Alok who believe belittling the common mans aspirations for security and wealth is anticommunist and bad.
This is a confused mess of a take. Makes the fundamental mistake of confusing the Indian government with the people of India and draws the blithe conclusion that on matters of foreign policy, Indians just quietly take their government’s cue. The continued incarceration of Umar Khalid and others on vague charges under UAPA, the judicial killings of Stan Swamy and now Prof Saibaba, has dramatically shrunk space for any democratic dissent. To see that as indifference is callousness of the highest order.
I support MS’ comment.
It’s high time Mr. Shekhar Gupta turns his focus on the rotten state of affairs in West Bengal. The doctor’s protest has opened up the abyss which Bengal has become today. Be it education or healthcare or any other sector, it is awash with corruption, crime and politics.
The Print must do a series of Cut The Clutter sessions on the absolutely rotten state of affairs in Bengal.
It took you some very deep thought and reading between the lines and jogging your memory to see that Palestine cause is hyphenated to Kashmir by Muslim leaders around the world . And you think ordinary Indians picked this up, remembered this and formed a sort of public discourse not to raise concerns on Palestinian issue? I think it’s a bit too far fetched. Occam’s razor should explain this better in my view. We don’t care much about what happens around the world , less so in the Muslim world especially if Muslims suffer. We are too busy becoming a world power to focus on the world. To quote from jab we met: main apni favourite hu. And the political parties are perfectly happy keeping it that way.
You can’t trust Islamist
I don’t think even one percent india population think about Israel or Palestinian they are busy in their own life to worry about anything
Mr. Gupta, when will the situation in west bengal be worthy of being featured in National Interest? How many other protests have been this spontaneous, emotional in post independence India?
I think you did 1 cut the clutter which didn’t pin the blame of this situation on Bengal govt. Your Kolkata correspondent churns out articles calling doctors stupid or mamata a victim of bad PR. yesterday was the first time she acknowledged mamata needs to act fact.
Tell me, what it is about national media or other political parties that won’t call out Mamata for the evil that she is. She is a liar, cold blooded killer, extreme narcissist, thinks of herself as God. Every sector in west bengal today only seems to have deeply embedded corruption. Why don’t you do an investigative series on that, unmasking that and cbi/Ed’s inability to make charges against her ministers stick.
Have had enough of pak, bd, Palestine coverage by you.
After the Mumbai blasts Sharad Pawar faked the list of targets to make it sound that there was no religious angle. After 26 11 We saw dossiers and strong protests to Pakistan. Any arrests were either because of citizens like Tukaram Omble and USA.
In Israel Indians see a government that behaves as it is supposed to when its citizens are attacked. Who displays care for its citizens. We dont pay taxes so that the government can talk arbitrary morality. We pay taxes to have our givernment deter attacks and retaliate when attacked. Not proprtionally but with a response that is sufficient to deter.
Gandhivaad is good for personal morality. Mixed into Nehruvian diplomacy it becomes impractical moralizing.
Indians wanted a regular government but since independence are stuck with one that they pay to not be protected. The govermment rather continuously judges them and directs them to self sacrifice. On all fronts economic and security.
Its like paying taxes to join a cult.
It is in Israel’s own long term interest to concede a Palestinian state.
Also, nuance aside, the world in general is sick and tired of the barbarism displayed by the usual suspects under the name of religion and don’t really mind if those regions are no bed out of existence. At least there will be less terror overall. Kt to forget 60 percent of Palestine supports hamas tacitly. What kind of barbarian population is this? And why should inebabe sympathy for such cavemen?
Author Shekhar Gupta points out some of the reasons for Indians not coming out in support of Palestine. But he has missed important point. Indian media and journalists – probably English one were historically Pro American / Pro West / Pro NATO.. Current author is also no exception. They were always anti Soviet and Pro NATO. Indian media hardly covers atrocities committed by Israelis with the backing of USA and NATO allies. But they cover the sufferings of Israelis in a big way which is in fact fact marginal in comparison to the sufferings of Palestines. Instead of building public opinion for the cause of Palestines, Indian media is busy parroting mostly NATAO’s version on all issues.
Money Shankar Iyer is fasting unto death for Palestinian cause and also selling tea to Palestinians. Rahul Baba has opened shop of love in Palestine. Comrade Brinjal Karrot is holding daily protests in Palestine while chanting ‘death to Israel’. Comrade Maharaja has transferred all his wealth to Palestinians. The ghost of Ramsita Churmury is teaching economics to Palestinians. Soniya mata has promised Palestinians Earth digging jobs. Kachrawala has promised free currency printing machines to the doorsteps of Palestinians. Peddaramiah has promised free bus transport for all Palestinians. Stalingam has promised free Tamil TV channels to Palestinians.