In his message, PM Modi says it is important that the Palestinians are able to lead a normal life. Terrorism must be condemned & development prioritised, he asserts.
If there is any country trusted by both sides in Gaza, it is India. While some Arab and Muslim countries are mistrusted by Israel, any Western influence is doubted by Palestinians.
Former diplomat Navtej Sarna says sentiment on Gaza conflict has turned; writer Pankaj Mishra asserts India lost moral authority by not unequivocally supporting Palestinian cause.
National interest always trumps pan-Islamism. Their shared strategic threat is Iran, its Shia base. The so-called Muslim world has stopped seeing Palestine as an Islamic issue.
Many forums have been spreading awareness about war in Gaza. ‘We (Indians) should look at their (Palestinians) fight the way we looked at our own (for freedom),’ said one artist.
Unlike major BRICS players like Brazil, Russia and China, New Delhi has not adopted an explicit ‘anti-Israel stand’ as it continues its balancing act amid the Israel-Hamas war, say experts.
The draft resolution, put forth by UAE, saw support of 143 of 193 member states while 9 countries, including US & Israel, voted against it, and 25 abstained.
Party leader Salman Khurshid said ‘the UN is helpless as people are slaughtered’, a day after Priyanka Vadra termed Gaza violence as ‘genocide being carried out with impunity’.
Adnan Abu Al Haija expressed hope that India plays 'a bigger role in peace process'. Meanwhile, analysts say the case is exposing cracks in international law.
A poor Muslim man from Kurnool, selling khoya buns during the Medaram Jatara in Telangana, was harassed by some YouTubers and surrounded by a mob over allegations of 'food jihad'.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
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