Palestine and India’s Foreign Policy
Foreign policy of every country depends on the national interest and there is no place for sentiment in it. Also, one cannot negate the adage that all decisions of foreign policy rest on the domestic conditions of a country. Also, one should not stick to a doctrine just because it has been there since the beginning. Consistency just for the sake of consistency is not always a virtue.
- Arabs have never supported us on the Kashmir issue which is why India’s complete support to Arabs on Palestine issue will come under scan. But India’s position was backed by the fact that Pakistan also voted for Arabs on the issue and thus if India did not support with equal effect if not more then Arabs would have taken an anti-India stand in UN.
- During 1980s and 90s many important Arab nations also established diplomatic ties with Israel following the Oslo Accords. China too joined the bandwagon. Thus, India too established diplomatic ties with Israel which have been continuously nurtured ever since. The relation is grown to the extent that Israel is stands second to Russia as our defence supplier.
Our relations with the Arab countries are also important as more than 2/3rds of our energy needs are met by the region. Many Indians have gone to the region to work and are sending money back home. The nations are also a huge market for our products. The capital surplus in these countries can immensely contribute to building Indian infrastructure. Also, it is a time when most Western nations are also promoting a pro-Palestine stance due to Israel’s illegal occupation of West Bank. Thus, whatever stance India takes it has to weighed in terms of national interest.
