Modi Reiterates India’s Support to Israel even as Palestine too Claims to be India’s Friend
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 10: Amidst talks that India can broker peace in the on-going Israel – Hamas conflict as it was friend of both Palestine and Israel, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reiterated India’s commitment for support to Israel condemning terrorism in all its forms.
Mr Modi said the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him and gave him an update on the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has killed over 1,600 people so far.
The Prime Minister said he assured Mr Netanyahu that India stood with Israel in “this difficult hour.” He also underscored that India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms. “I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” PM Modi posted on X,
The message of support was significant because India has, historically, backed the Palestinian cause and has also been moving closer to Israel in recent years. The war has come at a time when India has been positioning itself to play a bigger role in the Middle East but will now have to navigate a more difficult diplomatic situation.
India’s commitment for support to Israel came even as some experts felt that India could broker peace into the war which had seen four days of bloodiest conflict that so far has accounted for 1,600 killed and over 6,000 injured. It was believed that India which negotiated the inclusion of the African Union into the G20 and expanded the BRICS bloc by six nations, could play a key role in this regard.
The former head of Israel’s military intelligence Major General Amos Yadlin (retd) said, Israel would welcome a “Modi miracle” if the Indian prime minister could broker peace. “Hamas is not willing to do any negotiation… any peace. Hamas is a terror organisation (like ISIS)… they are killing women, children in a very cold way. If Modi can make this miracle we will hold our finger for him,” he said.
The Major General said while Israel would welcome any attempt by Mr Modi to mediate a peace, Hamas “is not willing for peace.” “Israel and India relations are very important. These are two nations that got out independence at the same time… have similar traditions. We are two nations that have enemies at the border… you have Pakistan, China, and we have the terrorists from Gaza, Hezbollah, and Iran and Syria.”
“There is a lot of the same political background, and Israel is helping India a lot. We are giving weapons that you used to get from Russia. We welcome any attempt by your PM to mediate…”
Major General Amos Yadlin (retired) served in the Israel defence forces for 40 years. Following 33 years as a fighter jet pilot, he was the deputy commander of the country’s air force. He was also Israel’s military attache to Washington, DC, and the head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman). Since 2011, he has been a director with the Institute for National Security Studies, Israel’s leading strategic think-tank.
Major General Yadlin (retired) said the intel failure was followed by an operational failure. “The very sophisticated fence should give time to the forces to stop the enemy, even if they don’t get an early warning. There are sensors along the border and somebody was able to neutralise them. This must also be investigated,” he said. Comparing Hamas with ISIS, he said, “They are killing women, children in a very cold way. This Israel won’t tolerate. We are now moving to change the rules of the game.”
Israel, he said, was now rebuilding the fence that was breached by Hamas operatives and moving from a defence to attack mode. “Israel has decided that Hamas and its military power will not be in Gaza after the end of this operation,” he said.
The conversation between PM Modi and Mr Netanyahu also comes in the backdrop of Palestine’s envoy saying that India was a friend of both Israel and Palestine, and must step in to help resolve the crisis.
Palestine’s Ambassador to India, Abu Alhaija blamed Israel and the international community for the war. “What has happened is a reaction to what Israel is doing in the West Bank. The international community is responsible for the war. The UN has passed 800 resolutions on Palestine. Israel has implemented none. If Israel ends its control on the occupied territories in Palestine, the attacks will also end,” Mr Alhaija, who is an appointee of the Palestine Authority government led by President Mahmoud Abbas, said.
Mr Abbas’ government controls the West Bank while the Gaza Strip is under the control of Hamas. The ambassador said Palestine was against the killing of civilians and made an appeal for India’s intervention to help find a peaceful solution. “Our president is in touch with several European countries to help negotiate. India is a friend to both. We want India to intervene and help us negotiate,” he said.
While the US, UK, Germany, France and Italy have issued a joint statement expressing their “steadfast support” for Israel and unequivocally condemning Hamas, many countries in the Middle East have blamed Israel for the current situation.
In a joint statement, the leaders of US, UK, France, Germany and Italy called Hamas’ actions appalling and warned against any country trying to take advantage of the current crisis in Israel.
“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism. In recent days, the world has watched in horror as Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes, slaughtered over 200 young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women, children, and entire families, who are now being held as hostages,” the statement said.
“Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage,” it added.
The Israeli intelligence experts admitted that a combination of multiple operational failures were likely why Israel’s much-vaunted intelligence network had failed to predict or prevent Hamas’ brutal attack. The domestic intel agency, Shin Bet, and the famed spy agency Mossad, have been scrambling for answers.
“Signals were not picked up, sensors were neutralised. The consequences were catastrophic,” the experts said. “We have the best anti-rocket system in the world…” they said but also acknowledged the Palestinian group had successfully altered tactics to counter extreme digital and physical surveillance by the Israelis.
Hamas on Tuesday morning threatened Tel Aviv with the execution of “a hostage for every bomb dropped on a Palestinian home” after Israel on Monday announced a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip. Reports indicate they have nearly 150 hostages, including children, and four have already died.
