India’s support of Palestinian rights has roots in its own struggle for independence. Mahatma Gandhi, in 1938, famously declared, “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English.” Post-independence, India stayed consistent on its commi𒁃tment to the🍸 Palestinian cause.
However, under the leade෴rship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s foreign policy prioritised strategic and economic interests through a strategic neutrality.
India’s Historical Support for Palestine
Spurred by its non-alignment policy, from 1947 India had opposed the United Nations’ (UN) partition plan for Palestine, the only non-Arab country to do so. Two years later, India vetoed Is♏rael’s admission to the UN, recognising the Jewish state only in 1950. However, in continued solidarity with Arab nations and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), India did not establish diplomatic relations at that time.
In 1974, India ratified the PLO as the legitimate rꦍepresentative of the Palestinian people, while also voting in the 1975 UN General Assembly to equate Zionism with racism. India was one of the first non-Arab nations to recognise the Palestinian State in 1988.
Diplomatic Relationship With Israel
With the end of the Cold War, a shift in global geopolitics compelled India to reassess foreign policy. Two decades after opposing Israel’s ratification into the UN, India established diplomatic relati𝓀o🍒ns with the State in 1992.
Post Cold-War, India continued to be considered a friend of Palestine. For example, India had close ties with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whose visits to India were marked by public displays of camaraderie with Indian leaders, and who was widely regarded as a friend of India. The country also continued to vote in favour of Palestini🧸an🌠 resolutions at the UN. Simultaneously, India worked to increase military and technological collaborations with Israel.
A Tilt Towards Israel Or Natural Progression?
By 2014, India’s Middle East policy was ripe for notable shifts. Under the BJP-led government, 💮Prime Minister Modi’s government embraced Israel, motivated by s📖trategic and economic interests.
In 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee visited both Palestine and Israel, quoting Gandhi’s statement on Palestine during his visit to Eas🦩t Jerusalem. Mukherjee’s visit was emblematic of India’s effort to balance competing interests. In 2017, India condemned the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reaffirming its commitment to a negotiated settlement. At the UN, India has maintained its voting patterns in favour of Palestine, including a vote in 2020 opposing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The same yeaꦕr, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit only Israel. In contrast to Congress-era leaders who often visited Palestine alongside Israel, Modi’s did not stop in Ramallah. Annual trade between the India and Israel has exceeded five billion USD, with significant investments from both countries’ in defence, including missile systems and surveillance equipment.
Since the events of October 7, 2023, Modi🔯’s government has been reticent in vocalising support for Palestine in internat﷽ional forums.
Domestic Support for Palestine
Indian politicians have often expressed solidarity with Palestine within Parliament. Debates on Middle East conflicts frequently see refe💫rences to India’s hi꧒storical support for Palestinian self-determination. During a 2014 Parliament session, members across party lines condemned the violence in Gaza, urging the government to denounce Israeli actions.
On December 16, 2024, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made headlines for carrying a handbag emblazoned with “Palestine” and featuring Palestinian symbols, including a watermelon — a widely recognised emblem of Palestinian solidarity. The gesture sparked reactions across political lines. Congresඣs spokesperson Dr Shama Mohammed praised Vadra’s move, calling it a “gesture of compassion, commitment to justice, and humanity.”
Earlier this year, Vadra condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza as “genocidal” and “barbaric.” She also criticised Netanyahu’s speech in the U.S. Congress, calling for a global condemnation of his government’s actions. Palestinian representatives have acknowledged Vadra’s consistent support, with Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Charge d’Affaires at the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, personally congratulating her ꦫon her recent electoral victory from Kerala’s Wayanad constituen🧜cy.
The BJP, however, accused Vadra of “appeasement politics,” with BJP MP Sambit Patra stating, “From Nehru to Priyanka Vadra, the Gandhi family has always carried the b𓂃ag of appeasement, never the bag of patriotism.”
In October 2023, India reiterated its support for a two-state solution during escalating violence in Gaza,𝓀 reflecting its commitment to a balanced approach.
In April 2024, India welcomed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for Ramadan, calling it a “positive step.” At the UN, India’s Permanent Representative, Ruchira Kamboj, condemned the deepening humanitarian crisis, stating, “The humanitarian crisis resulting from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is simply unacceptable.”
