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Firm up support to Palestine

The Manmohan Singh Government handled the visit to India of the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, in rather low key. If this was because Mr. Abbas, a far less charismatic figure than his predecessor Yasser Arafat, preferred to shun the limelight, it would be understandable. However, it would be inexcusable if the lack of enthusiasm over the visit reflected any decline of interest in the Palestinian cause. New Delhi has promised Rs. 65 crore in aid for infrastructure projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It has reiterated its support to the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. However, the call for an end to violence was grossly inadequate. The official statement on the visit should have included a condemnation of the Israeli occupation, which is the primary cause for strife. President Abbas was gracious enough to acknowledge that India's ties with Israel were its own sovereign affair. That relationship is undoubtedly flourishing; two-way trade has crossed the $ 3 billion mark; and there are several exchanges in the military field. However, the United Progressive Alliance Government should have used the opportunity provided by the visit of Arafat's successor to reverse the orientation given to India's West Asia policy by its predecessor. The National Democratic Alliance Government, fired by unrealistic notions of grand strategy, had displayed a marked tilt towards the Zionist state. There is a need to restore balance in India's approach to the countries of West Asia. The UPA Government should realise that any soft-pedalling of opposition to Israel on the ground that it is a major supplier of military equipment will seriously damage India's standing in the developing world.

A course correction is particularly necessary at a time India is seeking to play a greater role in international affairs. New Delhi's nervousness about annoying the United States might partly explain its failure to condemn the Israeli occupation. If that was the case, it would betray a lack of maturity in the policy approach towards reform of the United Nations. It is not just that India might need the votes of the Arab countries to secure a permanent seat on an expanded Security Council. There is the further question of what this country proposes to do if and when it acquires a place at the high table. Such an enhancement of global status will have little meaning if it does not enable India to speak with greater authority for the principles it has traditionally stood for on the world stage. Given their modern historical experience, the Indian people know colonialism for the evil it is.

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