Protests in Gaza – changed perceptions from India

The worsening security situation that India faces today at its borders regions is making it see the violence in Gaza through the lens of Kashmir, where the state cannot afford to let terrorist elements have a free run. India’s concerted attempt to partner with Israel is not an opportunistic manoeuvre, but a strategic masterstroke to cope with the changing realities in the 21st century.

By Hriday Ch. Sarma

Hamas yet again played an instigator role from behind the scenes to stage massive protests against Israel. This time it was in the wake of the Trump administration moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which Israel has fully embraced, even at the cost of using tear gas against Palestinian protestors. Many mainstream media channels presented this action of Israel as attempts against the lives of innocent Palestinians, without showing the antics of the demonstrators. The latter in their pursuit to cross into Israel burned tires along the fence, hurled stones at Israeli troops and flew inflammable kites over dry fields on the Israeli side of the border.

The populist media message that makes Israel a villainous actor has been consumed by thousands, or even millions, across the world. They believe this misleading and false narrative as they often do not verify the accuracy of facts, neglecting the prevailing realities on the ground. This is, of course, not exclusively the fault of media consumers, as they cannot practically access the developments happening in Gaza and along its borders with Israel, especially during times of war and chaos.

The Hamas Charter asserts in its introduction, “Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.” If this is heart-rending to hear, it is even more shocking to know how Hamas plans to achieve that. Its charter further adds, “Leaving the circle of conflict with Israel is a major act of treason and it will bring curse on its perpetrators.” This essentially infers that it is forcibly engaging the resident Palestinian population in the conflict with Israel, many of whom may not wish to participate at all.

A somewhat similar scenario prevails in Kashmir, India. This disputed territory has witnessed cycles of violence from India’s independence in 1948 until present. Pakistani-supported terrorist groups, such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, and others, are creating major socio-political and economic impediments geared towards the breakaway of Kashmir from India.

These Islamist militant groups, existing under the garb of secessionism, are hiding among the local Kashmiris and using them as human shields to launch attacks against the Indian establishment. This drives the Indian army stationed in the region to respond with force to restore normalcy after terrorists create untenable violence. However, under such circumstances, the populist media and so-called human rights groups initiate a frenzy surrounding alleged human rights violations committed by the state of India in Kashmir.

Why would these profit-maximizing and propaganda machines not create sensationalism? After all, it proves their prevalent existence and mighty power.

There is no international law that prohibits a sovereign power to use force against its enemies for protecting its citizens. The emerging order at the world level, including in the Middle East region, is becoming ever more volatile, with non-state actors openly competing and conflicting against the nation-states to grab power. This is creating a situation where the latter is increasingly coming under pressure to act, rather react, with force against the rogue actors to defend its sovereignty. Today, Israel and India face a similar situation. Hence, the two peace-seeking nations need to join hands and act as strategic partners against all terror elements.

In recent years, the general perception in India towards Palestinian terror and secessionist groups has significantly shifted. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has openly and enthusiastically embraced the Jewish state. Major sections of people in India now look up to Israel as a strong-state that assertively protects the lives of its citizens and substantiates its national security interests without heeding what critics have to say.

This new embrace of Israel is contrasted with the Indian National Congress party’s sympathetic attitude vis-à-vis Palestinian statehood, which remained prominent throughout the Cold War era.

India is now getting support from Israel on counterterrorism training for its surveillance forces working on internal security issues. The two countries are also establishing cybersecurity cooperation to monitor and prevent cyber attacks that may result in breach of classified information or aim to hurt national interests in any major way.

On January 15, 2018, Indian PM Narendra Modi, while addressing a press conference alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, said, “I have invited Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalised FDI regime, to make in India.” This reflects a calculated move by India to closely ally with Israel in the Strategic Partnership Model, which would facilitate the transfer of technologies and enable joint development of strategic applications.

The worsening security situation that India faces today at its borders regions is making it see the violence in Gaza through the lens of Kashmir, where the state cannot afford to let terrorist elements have a free run. India’s concerted attempt to partner with Israel is not an opportunistic manoeuvre, but a strategic masterstroke to cope with the changing realities in the 21st century.

Hriday Ch. Sarma is a PhD candidate at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) and a Fellow with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. Hriday has previously worked as a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (Tel Aviv).

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of TransConflict.

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