Despite the rhetoric, there is no change in India’s Palestinian policy. Examine the statement.

Civil Services Main Examination

General Studies (Paper - 2) : Model Question & Answers


PM Narendra ModiQuestion: “Despite the rhetoric, there is no change in India’s Palestinian policy.” Examine the statement in the light of recent developments.

Answer: The Modi government’s response to ‘Protective Edge’ came under criticism from the combined opposition, which demanded a resolution by Parliament ‘condemning’ the Israeli action. In this regard, it is worth noting that Modi had issued a statement on the ‘International Day of Solidarity with the Palestine People.’ Modi’s meeting with Abbas in New York puts to rest doubts about any imminent changes in India’s policy of voting in favour of Palestinian related resolutions at the UN.

Further, the Modi government did not desist from sponsoring the resolution – ‘Right of the Palestinian People to Self-Determination’ – which India had been sponsoring since 1998, albeit with some breaks in between. India, however, abstained at the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) on July 1, 2015 on a resolution welcoming the report of the Commission of Inquiry established a year ago to investigate violation of international humanitarian and human rights law in the ‘Occupied Territories’ during ‘Protective Edge’.

The resolution, among other requirements, urged Israel and its antagonists to cooperate with the International Criminal Court in its ‘preliminary examination’ of the issue. India’s stance then was welcomed by some Israeli analysts who termed it as a ‘major change’ in its policy position. It is pertinent to note here that the Modi government had voted in favour of the July 23, 2014 resolution which established the Commission of Inquiry. Others, however, rightly contended that the abstention related to a conflict involving Hamas (designated as a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the US, EU, Egypt, among others) and pointed out that India still voted against Israel when it came to resolutions at the UNGA.

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