New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sharp condemnation of “terrorist attacks” and show of “solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour”, revealed an India whose strategic interests are tightly aligned with Western capitols, and not with the Global South, the bloc of developing nations which has dominated the Centre’s rhetoric greatly, say experts.
If anything, the crisis in Israel has demonstrated how distant India’s strategic interests are from the Global South while being closely aligned with the western alliance, experts add.
Prime Minister Modi’s statement hewed closely to the position of the US and other G7 countries which have condemned the attacks by Hamas and supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
“India’s stance is clearly out of step with countries in the Global South,” Rajesh Rajagopalan, Professor of International Politics at JNU, tells ThePrint.
This, according to him, can be attributed to three reasons: “First, we’ve been harping on counter-terrorism in Quad, SCO, BRICS and so many other forums so we couldn’t ignore the seriousness of these attacks. Second, our bilateral compulsions with Israel, when it comes to technology transfer, could have played a role. Also, Israel is a strategic partner for India in I2U2 and the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.”
Harsh V. Pant, vice president of Studies and Foreign Policy at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), tells ThePrint that the “terror dimension in this conflict makes it almost impossible for India to ignore, especially since it’s always been active in putting the issue of terrorism on the global agenda”.
He adds that “condemning it (attack on Israel) squarely is also necessary for its (India’s) own national security interests should any other terror groups take a cue from Hamas and target India”.
New Delhi’s reaction reflects deep strategic and military ties between the two countries, which are partners with the US and the UAE in the so-called I2U2 infrastructure and strategic alliance. India is also the largest single customer for Israeli weapons systems.
Though Prime Minister Modi said in September that India is “becoming the voice of the Global South”, prominent members of the group, like Indonesia, Nigeria and Brazil were muted in their condemnation of Hamas, while critical of Israel for its retaliatory attacks on Gaza.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X: “The root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved, in accordance with the parameters agreed upon by the UN.”
Indonesia is deeply concerned with the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Indonesia urges the immediate end of violence to avoid further human casualties.
— MoFA Indonesia (@Kemlu_RI) October 8, 2023
China, which has been competing with India to assert leadership of the Global South, called for an end to Israeli counter-strikes against Hamas. A spokesperson for the country’s foreign minister asked both sides “immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation”.
Likewise, Russia’s foreign ministry asserted that the conflict “cannot be resolved by force”.
By contrast, India’s language was close to that used by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, despite the two countries being locked in a bruising spat brought about by Ottawa’s allegation that India was involved in the assassination of one of its citizens.
Trudeau said he “strongly condemns the current terrorist attacks against Israel” and that Canadians “stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself”.
The language used by other major Western countries was also similar to that of Prime Minister Modi’s. “The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza,” US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the official readout of their phone call.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan later called the attacks on Israel “unprovoked”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who rang Israeli President Herzog and Netanyahu, too condemned the attacks Saturday.
I have spoken to President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
I condemn the attacks carried out from Gaza on Israel, its soldiers and its people.
France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis, committed to their security and their right to defend themselves.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 7, 2023
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock toed the same line.
UK PM Rishi Sunak backed Israel, calling the attack by Hamas “cowardly and depraved”.
As the barbarity of today’s atrocities becomes clearer, we stand unequivocally with Israel.
This attack by Hamas is cowardly and depraved.
We have expressed our full solidarity to @netanyahu and will work with international partners in the next 24 hours to co-ordinate support.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 7, 2023
In Germany, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was lit up with the white and blue Israeli flag. This came hours after Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Hamas for the attacks and said Germany stands by Israel.
Terrifying news reach us today from #Israel. We are deeply shocked by the rocket fire from Gaza and the escalating violence. Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands by Israel.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) October 7, 2023
Also read: Israel-Gaza crisis holds brutal lessons in how not to fight terrorism & insurgencies
India’s I2U2 partnership
India backed the Abraham Accords, the milestone agreement brokered by the United States in 2020 to develop ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Israel has also been working to build a relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Environment Minister Idit Silman is scheduled to become the third minister from her country to visit Saudi Arabia next week.
Following the accords, India became a member of the I2U2 group, a partnership between itself and the US, Israel and the UAE. India is also part of a major US-backed railway development project, which could eventually tie the UAE through Saudi Arabia to Israel.
Experts like the scholar Andrew Parasiliti have suggested that the attacks by Hamas, which is backed by key Saudi rival Iran, were designed to undermine the ongoing effort at diplomatic normalisation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had engaged the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, into the ongoing negotiations with Israel. The Palestinian Authority has, however, faced growing competition from Hamas, which has been reasserting its belief in an armed struggle. Hamas Politburo head Ismail Haniyeh opened fire at the Israel-Saudi talks Saturday, saying “all the normalisation agreements that you signed with that entity cannot resolve this (Palestinian) conflict”.
Although China does not formally oppose the I2U2 partnership, it has been aggressively pushing its own Belt-and-Road-Initiative (BRI) projects across the Middle-East.
Global South bats for Palestinians
Following Beijing’s lead, most countries of the Global South were less than supportive of Israel. Brazilian President Lula, whose country currently holds the rotational presidency of the UN Security Council, termed the Hamas strikes as “terrorist attacks carried out against civilians in Israel”. But he also called for a negotiation that guarantees the existence of an “economically viable Palestine state” that co-exists peacefully with Israel.
South Africa and Nigeria focused on the need for de-escalation and ceasefire. “The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population, that bears the brunt of every conflict,” read a statement issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “The region is in desperate need of a credible peace process that delivers on the calls of a plethora of previous UN resolutions for a two-state solution and a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine.”
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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