This story first appeared in awaazsouthasia.com
From October 7- October 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote four tweets on the ongoing war in Gaza, turning India’s traditional foreign policy position on Israel-Palestine on its head with the first tweet and attempting to restore it with the last.
It took a full 12 days to bring back a semblance of normalcy and balance on this very fragile issue. But in the meantime, India’s reputation as a leader of the developing world which stands with oppressed peoples had taken a big knock.
In retrospect, it seems the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), whose top-notch diplomats are in the business of negotiating the thorniest of matters and crafting statements that reflect both the moral high ground as well as ground reality, was not even consulted when PM Modi shot off his first tweet demonstrating “solidarity with Israel,” according to diplomatic sources.
Within hours of the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, Modi’s media team, without, allegedly, consulting the MEA, went ahead and posted the tweet :
Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.
It is believed that this has been the Modi media team’s playbook for the last nine years since he has been Prime Minister. Any terror attack in any part of the world, quickly write out a tweet condemning terror, express support with the victims – and post.
The Modi media team does not – has not – consulted with the MEA when it posts social media content regarding terrorism.
This is also what is believed to have happened this time as well. Within hours of the October 7 Hamas massacre of innocent Israelis singing and dancing at the music festival in southern Israel, the attack on an Israeli kibbutz and the taking of hostages – in which more than 1400 Israelis were killed — Modi’s team had put out its “solidarity with Israel” tweet.
Unfortunately, the 280 characters were read in the Arab world as a shift in India’s traditional foreign policy position on the contentious Israel-Palestine conflict – a position that India has carefully crafted over the years as it grew closer to Israel, and yet maintained traditional ties with Palestine.
The MEA went into shock, as India’s reputation crumbled in the Arab world. There was not a peep out of South Block, the beautiful Raj-era building in the heart of Delhi which also houses the ministry. It took a full five days for the MEA to recover.
At this media briefing on October 12, Arindam Bagchi, the ministry spokesperson, reiterated India’s position on the Israeli-Palestine conflict :
“India’s policy in this regard has been long-standing and consistent. India has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognized borders side by side at peace with Israel. And I think that position remains the same.”
In the intervening five days, the world had changed. Israel’s Netanyahu announced that his troops would invade Gaza. US president Joe Biden said he would fly to Israel and also in Amman meet key leaders like the Jordanian king, the Egyptian and Palestinian presidents. Russian president Vladimir Putin flew to Beijing to confabulate with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Saudi Arabia, which was in the act of normalising ties with Israel, put that initiative on hold.
As the world looked like it was polarising around the conflict, Netanyahu called Modi to thank him for his support on October 10. Modi reiterated his position, only making it stronger. The “people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour,” he said.
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.
Then came the airstrike on the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. Who struck the hospital? Netanyahu, supported by Biden, said it was the Islamic Jihad, while the Arab world accused the Israeli Defence Forces. The summit in Amman, Jordan, where Biden was supposed to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian president Al-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, was cancelled – the Arabs and Abbas had cancelled it. The US president returned home having met just Netanyahu.
Modi and the MEA realised that this was a tipping point in the war. And so tweet no 3 was put out on October 18 :
Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible.
As the situation escalated and thousands of Gazans were killed in continuing airstrikes, both Modi and the MEA realised that something needed to be done so as not to be seen to be openly siding with Israel. Some balance in India’s policy needed desperately to be restored. So on October 19, the PM spoke to Mahmoud Abbas :
Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.
As the war on Gaza entered its 14th day, India’s position had turned full circle. What it will take for India’s reputation to be fully restored on the Israel-Palestine question is a question which, for the moment, has no real answers.