Israel-Hamas war: Where does India stand?

The Hamas attacks on Israel prompted sharp condemnation from India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading some to speculate that India might be revising its official policy.

"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," Modi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on the day of the Hamas terrorist assault.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the EU, the US, Germany and many other countries. India, however, is still not one of them. Despite Modi's comments on the attack, New Delhi seems committed to continuing its balancing act between Israel and the Palestinians.

India has long insisted on peace talks and a two-state solution to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Five days after the Hamas attacks, India's Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its stance in favor of direct talks and "establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel."

Long shadow of anti-colonialism

The roots of India's current policy go all the way back to the creation of modern-day Israel. In 1947, just months after gaining independence from the British Empire, India voted against the United Nations partition plan for the British Mandate of Palestine. It went on to vote against admitting Israel to the United Nations General Assembly after the country was established.

The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, and other anti-colonial leaders were opposed to the idea of a state created on the basis of religion. They believed that accepting Israel would legitimize the existence of the newly created state of Pakistan, which they also saw as a product of religious belief.

Moreover, India was sympathetic to the "Palestinian cause" as the sentiment of anti-colonialism dominated their relationship. While India recognized the establishment of Israel in 1950, New Delhi has continued to rebuff Israel's attempts at establishing diplomatic relations for the next four decades.

India only established its embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992, against the backdrop of the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, with the US emerging as the undisputed superpower. Since then, however, Israel and India have formed strong diplomatic ties. This is especially true for the period after Modi took power in 2014, and the Indian president appears to have a good working relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Modi moves closer to Netanyahu

According to P.R. Kumaraswamy, professor of contemporary Middle East studies at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, India's relationship with Israel has evolved "from recognition to realization to unapologetic acceptance."

In 2016, India abstained from a UN vote to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court for its alleged war crimes during the 2014 Gaza crisis. In 2017, Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Israel.

"There is no hesitation to accept this friendship in public," Kumaraswamy told DW.

Seen in this light, Modi's comments condemning the Hamas attacks could signal "a kind of deep-seated personal affinity that characterizes [Modi's] relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu," Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE, told DW.

"In the past, India has never made a remark about Hamas," Ahmad said.

What about the Palestinians?

For Fazzur Rehman Siddiqui, senior research fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi, India's foreign policy towards Israel and the Palestinians "operates within two frameworks of pragmatism and idealism."

"India has been the first and the oldest champion of the 'Palestinian cause.' India was ideologically and politically bound to back the Palestinian movement, which continues till today," he told DW.

Siddiqui points to Mahatma Gandhi and his famous quote: "Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, France belongs to the French."

"This commitment goes back to the anti-colonial moment of the 20th century, where India was at the forefront," Siddiqui told DW.

Pragmatically, however, it is worth noting that India is the largest buyer of Israeli weapons. India's exports to Israel have grown dramatically in recent years, and the two countries are also hoping to conclude long-running talks on a free trade agreement.

India adjusting to shifts in the Middle East

The apparent softening in India's policy towards Israel is in line with trends in the Middle East. In a move towards normalization, the UAE opened its embassy in Tel Aviv in 2021, becoming the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. Just weeks before the Hamas attacks, Netanyahu told the UN that Israel was "at the cusp" of a historical deal with Saudi Arabia.

The apparent thaw has also prompted India to weigh its options on Israel.

"The relationship between the two countries is based on economic factors and strategic concerns and is very transactional in nature," Siddiqui added.