by Maryam Noureen Janjua
India’s recent abstention during a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote on a resolution regarding Palestine marks a notable departure from its historical support for Palestinian sovereignty. This abstention has raised critical questions about India’s shifting foreign policy priorities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India experts are keenly following how it will impact India’s position vis-a-vis China and how it will shape future course for relationship with both the West and the Arab world. It is pertinent to mention on the outset that for decades, India remained a vocal advocate for Palestinian independence on the global stage.
In the UNGA session, for the first time in history, Palestine introduced its own draft resolution. The resolution called for Israel to “end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and comply with international law by dismantling settlements, evacuating settlers, and halting the construction of the separation wall inside the West Bank. While 124 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 14 voted against it, and 43 countries, including India, chose to abstain.
India’s historical support for Palestine has deep roots. After gaining independence from British colonial rule, India aligned itself with anti-imperialist movements, supporting the decolonization efforts of several nations, including Palestine. In 1988, India became one of the first non-Arab countries to officially recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and Palestine as an independent state. This move reflected India’s long-standing empathy for oppressed nations, particularly those striving for sovereignty, as Palestine was.
However, under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), particularly since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, India’s foreign policy has seen a discernible shift. While the traditional stance on Palestine once resonated with India’s moral compass, guided by its own experience with colonialism, India has increasingly balanced its support for Palestine with growing diplomatic and military ties to Israel. This shift is more than transactional and deep rooted in India’s desire to achieve strategic depth against China by making alliances with Western powers, especially the United States.
India and Israel’s relationship has undergone a transformation over the past few decades. Initially, diplomatic relations between the two nations were cool, as India’s support for Palestine kept it distanced from Israel. However, following the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 1992, India’s relationship with Israel steadily deepened, particularly in the realms of defense, technology, and agriculture. The answer to growing India-Israel ties lies in India’s own cultural battle with China in Israel where both the countries are contesting for sphere of influence. A simultaneously growing cyber security cooperation between Israel and India has been received with concerns in China, especially when the Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visited India in 2022.
Under Prime Minister Modi, this relationship has reached new heights. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 2017, and during his tenure, bilateral cooperation in defense and trade has significantly expanded. Israel has emerged as one of India’s top defense suppliers, with arms deals and military cooperation strengthening the bond between the two nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu counts Modi as a close personal friend, and this friendship has been a critical factor in India’s slow departure from its traditional steadfast support for Palestine.
India’s growing closeness to Israel may not go unnoticed by the Arab world, where the suffering of Palestinians deeply resonates, especially among Muslim-majority nations. For decades, India has maintained strong diplomatic and economic relations with the Arab world, largely driven by the millions of Indian workers in the Gulf and India’s energy dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Any shift in India’s stance toward Palestine is likely to strain its relations with key Arab states, where public sentiment overwhelmingly favors Palestinian independence. Although it is too early to determine the future trajectory of India’s economic and diplomatic ties with the Arab countries, it can damage India’s image among the Arab street.
India’s abstention on the Palestinian resolution, while seemingly neutral, sends a clear message regarding its evolving foreign policy. By abstaining, India did not directly oppose the resolution, but it also refrained from aligning with the 124 countries that voted in favor of Palestine. This decision represents a cautious balancing act: India is attempting to preserve its growing ties with Israel while not entirely abandoning its long-standing support for Palestine. While passing through the thin line of diplomacy, India has seemly distanced itself from the historical stance on Palestine.
India’s move also reflects its growing geopolitical ambitions. Under Modi’s leadership, India has increasingly sought to position itself as a global power, independent of traditional alignments, whether with the BRICS group, the Global South, or the Arab world. India appears to be signaling its desire to maintain strategic flexibility, particularly as it seeks to deepen ties with Western powers, notably the United States and European Union, which have strong diplomatic and economic relations with Israel. The abstention also breaks with the positions of other BRICS members, such as Brazil, Russia, and China, who have traditionally supported Palestine.
As the U.S. and its Western allies intensify their strategic competition with China, India’s positioning becomes critical. The U.S. and other Western nations have increasingly courted India as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region, where both sides share concerns about China’s expanding influence. By distancing itself from its traditional stance on various global issues, India is signaling to the West that it is a more reliable partner in global geopolitics.
However, while India may win favor in Western capitals for aligning more closely with Israel, it risks alienating its partners in the Arab world. China is contesting with the U.S. for sphere of influence in the Arab World. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has a symbiotic stake in the Middle East. Between 2014-2019, China’s state owned enterprises invested around 22 billion USD in the Middle East with more focus on the energy sector. The U.S. sees India as an intentional partner to counter China in the Middle East, especially China’s pursuit to winover the Gulf states. India’s abstention in UN on Palestine issue can open a window for China to exploit the move to dwarf India – indirectly impacting the U.S. interests in the region.
India’s future trajectory with the Arab world will largely depend on how it navigates the delicate balance between its growing ties with Israel and its traditional relationships with Arab states. While the decision may help India win greater support from Western powers, particularly in its rivalry with China, it risks alienating the Arab world and other traditional partners. As India continues to rise as a global power, it will need to carefully navigate the complex web of alliances and interests that define its foreign policy. Whether India can maintain its delicate balancing act between Israel, the West, and the Arab world remains to be seen.