Quiet Diplomacy Needed In West Asia

Four months. Two high-level visits — one by the President Pranab Mukherjee in October and the other by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj this month — to Israel. Is India overplaying its hand in promoting relations with Israel? And in the process does it run the risk of antagonising Palestinians, the Arab world and the wider public opinion?

It would seem so, if the Narendra Modi government's pro-active engagement with Israel is any indication. Over exposure to Israel is neither good politics nor desirable diplomacy at a time such as this in West Asia. Quiet but sustained diplomacy is preferable.

It's because the road to the hearts and minds of the Arab street goes through the sentimentalism built around the decades-old Palestinian struggle for an independent homeland. In the post-Arab Spring Middle East, at a time when Syria and Yemen are burning, Saudi Arabia and Iran are feuding and the world is awaiting post-sanctions Iran, the mother of all struggle in the region is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab street's emotional attachment to the long struggle for Palestine is unquestionable.

The Arab street has viewed India's traditional support for the Palestinian struggle with appreciation and gratitude. But ever since India established full diplomatic relations with Israel in the early 1990s and extended cooperation in defence and other areas, the Palestinians are not so sure. They don't understand India's compulsions to move closer to Israel. They feel India is getting closer to Israel under Modi.

That's why when a group of students protested during Pranab Mukherjee's speech at Al Quds University in East Jerusalem, their placards read, "India why do you cooperate with the occupiers?; "Indian President raise your voice against Israel's aggression"; "Indian President don't keep quiet against the butchers slaying Palestinians".

The Palestinian students' messages symbolised their collective pain over a friend not seen so steadfast and firm in support of their struggle for homeland. The underlining message was it's not expected of India, an old and dependable friend.

For instance, the Modi's government's decision to abstain from voting on a resolution on Palestine at the UN Human Rights Council calling for accountability in the last Israeli -Hamas conflict in Gaza surprised the Arabs. The Indian move was interpreted as a sign of growing relations with Israel at the cost of its tradition ties with the Palestinian people.

Israel is under increasing pressure to reboot its policies. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel is under sway of the religious right-wing elements. Netanyahu has been ceding ground to the fundamentalist right in order to save his government. His government has been on a land-grabbing spree driving more and more Palestinians out of their land in open defiance of the global public opinion.

Netanyahu has invited ire of the European Union over expanding Jewish settlements on the Palestinian land. US President Barack Obama has minced no words in slamming Netanyahu for expanding settlements. The US-Israeli relations are at the lowest point ever in decades.

As a consequence, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is dead. The hope for two-state solution is fading away and the Palestinians are on edge to launch the third Intifada. The cases of violence in the West Bank, in East Jerusalem and even in Israel are on the rise with more and more Palestinian youth falling victims to police bullets. Israel has been steadily losing the moral war against the Palestinians in the West.

Recently, the EU's growing impatience with Israel on the settlement issue was reflected in the European Commission bringing out new labelling guidelines for products produced by Israel in the illegally occupied territories. The EC requires that any product made in the settlement areas must be labelled ‘made in settlements and not 'made in Israel'.

Another moral victory against Israel was marked when the UN overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a non-member state. Now the flag of Palestine flutters over the UN building. The case filed by Palestine in the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes against Israel can acquire serious dimension after the UN's recognition of Palestine as a state.

Against the rising tide of public opinion against Israel, India needs to engage pro-actively with West Asia. The Modi government's "Link West" policy can pay rich dividends. And the government is engaging with the region. Sushma Swaraj has made several trips to the region. She was in Bahrain on January 23-24 to attend the first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum. The "Manama Declaration" issued after the meeting stressed cooperation on counter-terrorism measures including steps to choke terrorists' funding. It also called for finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on two-state solution.

India is right in energising its policies to cope with the tectonic shifts taking place in West Asia. The traditional prism of looking at West Asia has outlived its utility. At the same time, India needs to be cautious in regard to Israel at a time when the country is losing the global support and sympathy.

Ashok K. Singh is a journalist specialising in West Asia affairs