India, for a very long time, had called for the 2-state solution that supports the establishment of a sovereign independent state of Palestine. India has since long been maintaining that the Israel-Palestine conflict should be resolved through negotiation resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, the recent close ties with Israel have India, for a very long time, had called for the 2-state solution that supports the establishment of a sovereign independent state of Palestine. India has since long been maintaining that the Israel-Palestine conflict should be resolved through negotiation resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. However, the recent close ties with Israel have appeared to have diluted India’s stance on the Palestine issue.

Strengthening Indo Israel Relations

1. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, there has been an upswing in the relations between the two countries in view of the common concerns about religious extremism and global terrorism.
2. The political ties have become especially cordial under the Modi Government. In 2017, Prime Minister Modi became the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.
3. During this visit, the diplomatic relationship was upgraded to a strategic level, and seven agreements/MoUs were signed in the areas of R&D, innovation, water, agriculture, and space. Defence and agriculture have become the two main pillars of bilateral engagement.
4. In 2018, the Israeli Prime Minister visited India, during which Government to Government (G2G) agreement on cybersecurity, oil and gas cooperation, film cooperation, and air transport were signed, along with five other semi-government agreements.
5. An increase in the high-level exchanges in recent times has expanded cooperation in areas like trade, agriculture, science and technology and security.

How Strengthening Of Indo-Israel Ties Affected Indo-Palestine Relations

1. For two-and-a-half decades from 1992, the India-Israel relationship continued to grow, mostly through defence deals, and in sectors such as agriculture. But India never acknowledged the relationship fully.
2. It was during NDA-2 that the government under PM Modi decided to take full ownership of the relationship with Israel.
3. In 2014, India favoured a UN resolution to establish a Commission to investigate a violation of an international humanitarian and human rights law during Operation Protective Edge conducted by Israel in the Gaza strip.
4. However, the Indian Government did not pass a resolution in the parliament condemning the Israeli action, contrary to the earlier practices.
5. At the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), India abstained on the resolution that welcomed the report of the same Commission of Inquiry, making it the first time India had refused to vote against Israel at the UN.
6. Though the Indian government clarified that this does not mean that there is a change in India’s traditional support for the separate state of Palestine, it is evident that India is distancing itself from advocating for the Palestinian cause.
7. Until 2017, in various statements, with its expression of support for a two-state solution, India had always included a line in support of East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state which was missing in PM Modi’s statement during PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas visit to India in 2017.
8. In February 2018, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel but not Ramallah. The signal was that India had “de-hyphenated” the Israel-Palestine relationship, and would deal with each separately.

India’s Balancing Act With Palestine

1. Meanwhile, India continues to improve ties with Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and feels vindicated by the decision of some Arab states to improve ties with Israel.
2. It voted for Palestine to become a full member of UNESCO in 2011, and a year later, cosponsored the UNGA resolution that enabled Palestine to become a “non-member” observer state at the UN without voting rights.
3. Even as it abstained at UNESCO in December 2017, India voted in favour of a resolution in the UNGA opposing Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
4. Despite growing Indo-Israel ties, New Delhi remained firmly on the side of the PLO, which was seen as ready for a political solution and had accepted the two-state solution.
5. In the current context of violence, India in its official statement appears to implicitly hold Israel responsible for triggering the current cycle of violence by locating its beginnings in East Jerusalem rather than from Gaza.

There has been much debate in recent times about whether India has changed its pro-Arab historical stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. India’s close diplomatic relationship with Israel is vital for India’s national interest. Despite the criticism of India abandoning the Palestinians, at the current juncture, it is necessary to undertake a balancing in the highly unstable West Asia so that there is room for change when the need arises.