Israel attack puts India in a fix

The Israeli attack on Gaza has put India in a catch-22 situation. Though New Delhi is keen to nurture its budding relationship with Israel, it is also not ready to forgo long-time friends — the Palestianians.

More importantly, in a country which has the world’s second largest Muslim population, the plight of Palestinians cannot be ignored. With elections round the corner, the Congress issued a strong statement last week and forced South Block to issue one too.

On Friday, India urged Israel to put an end to the strikes and resume a dialogue with the Palestinians. But the official statement did not name Israel as the aggressor.

Instead, it pointed out the “heart-rendering plight of civilians”. “The situation on the energy front appears grim as nearly three-fourth of the Gaza population is without electricity. Some 750,000 people are also going without food,’’ the statement issued on Friday said.

A decade earlier an attack of this magnitude would have led to tough statements against Israel. But since 1992, when New Delhi established full diplomatic relations with Israel, India has stopped its scathing attacks against the Jewish state. But this time, the Congress asked for a revision of the language of the statements. Officials did so, but the criticism was muted.

Significantly, the Congress also issued a separate statement on Friday. The language of the statement was much harsher and directly called Israel the aggressor. “We condemn the invasion of Gaza by Israel, which has resulted in grave humanitarian catastrophe. The attack is shocking and reprehensible,’’ the statement said.

Snap ties with Israel: Civil Activists
India’s mild response to the situation in Gaza has angered civil rights activists who have written to prime minister Manmohan Singh urging him to take a tougher stand against Israel. “We condemn this attack and expect the Indian government to respond to public opinion that is not restricted to any class or community,’’ the statement signed by over 52 activists said.

“It is clear that Israel is using the Hamas as an excuse to occupy the territory and completely subjugate the Palestinians, the letter stated. The activists said New Delhi should snap off diplomatic ties with Israel, send medical teams and medicines to Gaza and condemn the United States for blocking a resolution against Israel in the United Nations Security Council.