New York, December 3: In its gradual shift towards realpolitik, India has moved from viewing Palestine through the prism of its independence struggle and the trauma of partition to initially rejecting Israel and ultimately supporting the two-state solution of independent Israel and Palestine. A lot of distance has been covered till now. To co-exist as neighbours.
During a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the climate summit in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s long-term support for a two-state solution, underscoring the policy rooted in India’s diplomatic stance for decades, as That was confirmed by the Union Ministry of External Affairs.
This commitment to a two-state solution, often repeated in the speeches of Indian leaders and diplomats, marks a consistent thread in India’s foreign policy. Initially hesitant in accepting the formation of Israel, India officially recognized the nation in 1950, indicating nominal acceptance of the two-state solution to the Palestine issue, despite earlier opposition.
Providing a strong foundation for its advocacy of a two-state solution, India accepted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in 1974 and the State of Palestine in 1988. This diplomatic development reflected global recognition.
This was followed by the establishment of diplomatic relations between India, Israel and Palestine, with India granting full diplomatic status to Israel in 1992, a significant development. Notably, India had allowed an Israeli consulate in Mumbai since 1953.
מוקדם יותר היום, קיימתי פגישה פורה מאוד עם נשיא ישראל @Isaac_Herzog. השיחה בינינו כללה נושאים גלובלים ובילטרלים מגוונים. pic.twitter.com/WNVQaIJnop
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 1, 2023
India’s initial resistance towards Israel was rooted in the pre-independence Congress Party’s association with Arab interests against British rule in Palestine and Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru’s opposition to the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Gandhi’s stance emphasized that Palestine belonged to the Arabs, echoing the sentiment that the Jewish people could settle there only with Arab goodwill, and not under “the shadow of the British gun”. Nehru considered Palestine primarily an Arab country and envisioned cooperation between the two peoples within an independent Palestine.
However, geopolitical changes, including Israel’s victory in the 1948 war and occupation of additional territory during the 1967 war, forced India to reconsider its stance. The “Land for Peace” resolution in 1967 laid the groundwork for the renewed two-state concept.