?Delicate Juggling Act By Pranab In Israel

Juggling two diplomatic hot potatoes—Israel and Palestine—India today made it clear that while it condemned terrorism in all its forms, it would like to see an early and peaceful resolution to the West Asian crisis.

Without blaming Palestinians of “terrorism”, as some in Israel have been doing, India expressed its concern over the ongoing violence and stressed on the urgent need to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Criticism had been rising in sections of Israel, especially among the hardliners, about the Indian President’s decision to refrain from remarking on the past fortnight’s violence in Jerusalem leading to the death of 15 people.

?But he silenced his critics with his remarks on Wednesday morning. “India is disturbed at the recent violence. India condemns all forms of terrorism,” President Mukherjee said at a reception ceremony at his Israeli counterpart’s residence. “We have always advocated a peaceful resolution of all disputes,” he added.

The President pointed out that he would seek an assessment about the recent developments from his Israeli hosts since they have raised concern in different parts of the world. He also made it clear that the violence and instability in this region—where India has very high stakes—are of serious concern to Delhi.

The remarks of the President, though consistent with India’s stated policy,  comes soon after criticism over his attempt to gloss over the recent violence in Jerusalem by sections in Israel.

“Indian President Pranab Mukherjee began a historic three-day visit to Israel on Tuesday after spending 24-hours in the Palestinian Authority during which he gave two public addresses but never once mentioned the raging Palestinian terrorism on the streets,” the Jerusalem Post noted in a prominent report Wednesday.

With space for Israel-Palestine peace fast shrinking in the country, Jewish hardliners would like to see India junk its balanced approach to West Asia and come out to support Israeli policy of dealing with the recent spurt of violence in Jerusalem— seen in sections as the beginning of the “ third intifada”—in a categorical manner.

Jerusalem has gone through several anxious moments since last fortnight following a series of stabbing and shooting incidents in wake of the expanding Jewish settlements and Israeli government’s decision to block access to the Al Aqsa Mosque and restrict entry into  parts of the city.

But President Mukherjee, an astute politician with wide experience on world affairs, struck a diplomatic balance between the two contending parties. He reiterated India’s resolve to fight global terrorism without diluting its commitment for an early resolution to the West Asia crisis to ensure an Israeli and Palestinian state, co-existing peacefully with each other.

Disappointed with the President’s earlier silence the Jerusalem Post had observed, “the public tenor of Israeli-Indian ties has markedly improved since Narendra Modi, of the right-wing BJP party, was elected prime minister in 2014. “ While it added, “Mukherjee in the largely ceremonial role, spent nearly six decades as leader of Modi’s rival party, the Indian National Congress.”

But with his remarks the Indian President has put such speculation to rest.

Later addressing the Israeli parliament on Wednesday, a historic feat being the first Indian President to do so, he said, “India’s consistent policy has been to build a strong, substantive and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel. We will continue to do so through high level visits and exchanges so that India-Israel relations are accorded the utmost priority,” he said.? ?“As we approach the 25th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations, we both seek to expand the vision of our future partnership,” the President added.

A banquet is organized in his honour by the Israeli President in the evening and he will also have several occasions till tomorrow, including a lunch with PM Netanyahu, to discuss bilateral and regional issues. The state of the Israeli-Palestine peace talks along with other developments are likely to come up during these discussions.

Much of the Jewish hardliners thinking that there is now a growing support for closer Indo-Israeli partnership stems from what they see among some of the ??Indian-Jewish community in Israel. At the King David Hotel reception organized by Indian ambassador Joydeep Sarkar in honour of the President on Tuesday evening, ??shouts of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” were heard from sections of the Indian community barely minutes after the national anthem ended. As the crowd took turns to be photographed with the President, some members of the overseas friend of the BJP, also sought out party MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is part of Pranab Mukherjee’s delegation, to take selfies.? ?Some even volunteered to tell the Indian media how eagerly they were waiting for PM Modi’s visit to the country, scheduled for early next year.

But pressure has also been growing on the Benyamin Netayahu government for the violence in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. While hardliners are seeking tougher policies to deal with the “terrorism” of Palestinians, many world leaders are criticizing the government for inciting violence with its decision to expand Jewish settlements and encroach into Palestinian land.

US Secretary of State John Kerry saw a direct link between the violence and the new Jewish settlements and asked the Netanyahu government to immediately stop the encroachment. Many Israelis have also expressed concern over the recent spell of violence and its impact on the economy and its tourist trade.

By Pranay Sharma in Jerusalem