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India’s Emerging Pragmatism Towards Palestine Issue

This Article traces India’s emerging pragmatic policy towards Palestine issue in the post-cold war era.

Palestine conflict is one of the oldest global problems of our time. The root cause of this conflict is the demand of separate homeland for Palestinians in the same place where Israel is located and Israel persistent refusal to accept this demand on the ground of security and other regions. The Arab countries of the Middle east region have been traditionally supporting the cause of Palestinians in this conflict. Thus, the Palestine problem is a part of greater Middle East region, where India has many strategic interests ranging from supply of oil to remittances from Indian working in Middle Eastern countries to transport and trade and investment. India’s policy towards Palestine issue can be best described as a shift from ideological commitment to Palestine Cause during cold war to gradual shift towards strategic pragmatism in the post-cold war era. In Brief, during cold war era India outrightly supported the cause of Palestine in tune with Arab states of the region and even declined to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel. However, after the end of cold war and with changing global economic and strategic environment, India too made a policy shift in the Middle East. While the ties with Arab countries were further expanded on the one hand, the relations with Israel were also improved on the other. In fact, the prevailing strategic conditions in the Middle east also helps India to pursue this balancing approach as many of the Arab countries like Egypt, UAE and Jordan have also normalized their ties with Israel the period of time.

Background of Palestine Conflict

The Palestine conflict is very complex and longstanding problem of international politics. It has many historical layers and multiple dimensions, which add to its complexity. Itys is historically admitted that the disputed land belonged to Jews in ancient period. However, due to persecution under Roman Empire in ancient times and later due to long Islamic rule over this land, many Jews migrated to Europe, North America and even to India. The Islam spread to Palestine area in 7th century, which resulted in the construction of Al Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in the old Jerusalem by the the fifth Umayyad caliph in the late 7th century. In modern times the mosque in the Temple Mount of Jews have become a particular point of tension in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Apart from its importance to Muslims, the Temple Mount holds significance for Jews as the site of the Temple of Jerusalem which was destroyed in 70 ce (Zeidan: 2025). Muslims believe that it is from this place that Prophet made her last journey to heaven. This Mosque is the most disputed site at present between the supporters of Islam and Jews of Israel as Temple Mount is the place where the old temple of Jews was located. This temple was destroyed by Roman rulers, but its western wall (Wailing wall) is still the most sacred place of Jews. We all know that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem. This is how Jerusalem became the contested land between the followers of three religions- Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Later the Palestine-Israel region came under the control of Ottoman empire. However, the scattered Jews in America and Europe launched a Zionist movement in late 19th century to claim their ancestral land and establish a Jew state in the area of present-day Israel. During the WWI the British government also supported the demand for a Jewish state in 1917 in area then known as Palestine under the Ottoman empire. The World Zionist Organization was established in in 1897 to launch a movement for independent state of Israel at their ancient land by Theodore Hurzl, who is known as father of Zionism. This support was given by the Belfour Declaration issues in 1917. After the defeat of the Ottoman empire in the WWI, the area of Palestine was placed in the supervision of Britain under the mandate system of League of nations. The mandated regions were those areas which were not capable of self-governing and hence needed external support and supervision till they attain statehood. It was during the British mandate that large umber of Jews migrated to Palestine area (the present-day Israel) from different parts of the world.

The British announced to end their mandate in 1948 after the end of WWII, Israel was established as an independent nation on this land in 1948 with the support of European Powers and America.  And since then Palestinians have been fighting for their right for independent homeland. In this fight, Islamic countries have supported Palestinians, but later this support has weakened particularly in the in post-cold war era. America and European countries have extended and continue to extend their support to Israel.  Four major wars along with many smaller have been fought between the two sides in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. military tensions as well as skirmishes between Palestine and Israel have been almost a regular feature since the establishment of Israel in 1948. The crux of the problems revolves around the claims of Israel (Jews) and Palestinians (Muslims) as their homeland on the same piece of land. At present, Palestinians, who adhere to Islam, are living in two enclaves within Israel, namely Gaza strip and West Bank (of Jordan river) and scattered as refugees in many neighbouring countries like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and other. Many Palestinians are still living in Israel also.

Present status of Palestine Problem

The brief historical background of Palestine problem reveals that it has both religious and strategic connotations. The involvement of Islamic States and external players like Israel’s supporters like US and European countries has further complicated the resolution of this conflict. The Shia-Sunni religious fault line and fractions within Palestinians have made the Palestinian issue more complicated. However, with the end of cold war, the hopes for resolution of Palestine issue were generated. In a historic deal known as Oslo Accords, 1993-1995 was signed between Israel and Palestinian group PLO. Under the Oslo accord, Palestinians gave recognition to independent state of Israel and Israel agreed for the establishment of independent state for Palestinians.  Israel agreed to grant initially limited autonomy to Palestinians in West bank and Gaza Strip with the autonomous rule of Palestinians. It was assumed that in the later phase the Palestinians would get the full statehood in these territories. Accordingly, Palestine National Authority (PNA) was established in 1994 in West bank and Gaza strip. Meanwhile, during the second elections to legislature of PNA in 2006, the difference between the extremist Hamas faction and moderate Al Fateh came to the fore. Hamas does not recognize Israel and believes in violent means to pursue the goal of independent Palestine state in place of Israel. In these elections, Hams won the majority seats, but Al Fateh did not hand over power to Hamas, which later in 2007 captured Gaza strip and started the policy of military actions against Israel. Hamas has been supported by Iran and its Lebanon based Hezbollah.  Since 2007, there have been many rounds of military skirmishes between Israel and Gaza based Hamas militants. Hamas activities have prompted Israel to renege from Oslo accord on the ground of her national security.

The ongoing Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas (an extremist and militant group of Palestinians) since October, 2023 is the latest in the series of the conflicts between the two sides. The conflict began when the Hamas extremists and other groups launched a coordinated Armed incursion against Israel on 07 October, 2023, in which 1195 Israelis were killed and about 250 Israeli civilian and soldiers were taken hostage by Hamas militants. In retaliation, Israeli armed forces launched a massive military operation against Hamas in Gaza, which is still continuing, amidst few non-serious phases of ceasefire between the two sides. The latest ceasefire between 19 January 2025 to 18 March, 2025, was not renewed, prompting Israel to reinforce its military operation again.  In this conflict, more than 50000 Palestinians, mostly women and children have been killed so far.  According to the United Nations, 1.9 million people were displaced in Gaza as of October 2024 out of a population of 2.2 million people; which created a huge humanitarian crisis in human history.

Indian Policy towards Palestine Issue

India’s policy response to Palestine issue has been motivated by two set of factors: First, India’s larger interests in the Middle East like her dependence on Arab world for her oil supply, remittances from the Indian working in the Middle East, and new prospects for trade investments and connectivity. Second set of factors include the changing global as well as regional strategic conditions affecting India’s response to this issue. These factors are end of cold war, increasing pace of globalization, Shia-Sunni conflict among regional powers of Middle East (difference between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arab), rapprochement between Arab countries and Israel.

These two sets of factors are well reflected in India’s shifting policy response with respect to Palestine problem as well as larger Middle East region. This shifting policy response of India can be explained in two phases- policy response during cold war and post-cold war shift in the policy.

India Policy towards During Cold War

During cold war era (1945-1991), India fully supported the cause of Palestine as it was in accordance to India core interests in the Middle East as well as the ideological orientation of India’s foreign policy in this period. India became independent in 1947 after a long fight against the British colonial rule. It pursued the policy of Non-alignment in foreign affairs, which later led to Non-alignment with the support of like-minded nations like Egypt, Yugoslavia, Indonesia and many African countries. Thus, opposition to colonialism and emphasis on right to self-determination of nations became a new ideological plank of India’s policy. Also, Egypt was not only the leader of Arab world but also the supporter of Palestine cause. The countries of Arb world were united in staunch support to the Palestine issue. Accordingly, India’s foreign policy position with respect to Palestine issue was articulated under the following points:

  1. India strongly supported the right of Palestinians for a separate state in the region, where they were living. India did not support the UN General Assembly Resolution (181 of 1947) which facilitated the creation of Israel and by partition of Palestine land. The Plan was proposed by the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP-1947) and was accepted by the UN General Assembly. Thus, from the very beginning India supported the cause of Palestine and opposed the state of Israel (Appadorai and Rajan: 1988).
  2. India persistently raised the issue of establishment of separate state of Palestine in the NAM meetings. Almost every NAM summit contained a resolution to this effect. The NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine was established under India’s Presidency during the VII NAM Summit in New Delhi in 1983. As a member of the Security Council, India continued to voice its support for a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, within secure and recognized borders, at peace beside Israel as endorsed in the relevant UNSC and UNGA Resolutions (MEA: 2023).
  3. Though India recognized the state of Israel in 1950, but stopped at that. India did not establish full diplomatic relations with Israel during this period in support of Palestine cause. The commercial and cultural relations with Israel were conducted through Israeli consulate in Mumbai.
  4. In all conflicts between Israel and Arabs in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, India supported the side of Arabs and Palestinians (Appadorai and Rajan: 1988).
  5. India extended full diplomatic support to the PLO, which was the sole representative of Palestinians and fighting for their separate homeland under the leadership of Yasser Arafat. In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1988, India became one of the first countries to recognize the Palestinian State. In 1996, India opened its Representative Office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003 (Representative Office of India: Retrieved 2025). A PLO office was established in New Delhi in 1975, and full diplomatic relations were established in March 1980. 

In brief, during the cold war era, India’s support to Palestine cause and Arab countries was unqualified at bilateral level as well as multilateral level in various global and reginal forums. The NAM led by India pursued the cause of Palestine with urgency and determination. At the same time, India kept away from establishing full diplomatic ties with Israel. India did not support the denial of right of statehood to Palestinians by Israel supported by the Western powers of north America and Europe. The strategic condition prevailing during the cold war also supported India’s above stand on Palestine.

Post -Cold War Shift: From Ideological Commitment to

Strategic Pragmatism

The end of cold war in 1991 with the disintegration of Soviet Union, rise of globalization with the support of neoliberalism and emergence of the US as the sole superpower brought huge shift in the global strategic environment. It affected the foreign policy all countries including that of India. India also changed her domestic policy for the close integration with the ongoing globalization. The ideological orientation of cold war era gradually gave way for greater pragmatism and realistic pursuance of India’s core interests. India developed close strategic partnership with the US, while at the same time maintaining balanced ties with other nations. Rising India’s national interest also diversified and new policy initiatives were taken to engage with hitherto neglected regions like South East Asia, Central Asia and West Asia or Middle East.

Meanwhile, regional strategic conditions in the Middle East also displayed new shifts. While during cold war era all Arab countries were united against Israel in support of Palestine, the Camp David Accord of 1979 between Egypt and Israel mediated by the US fractured the Arab unity. Since then the unified Arab support to the cause of Palestine has been gradually diluting over the years. This process still continues. The US under Trump Administration in 2020 launched Abraham Accords for establishing diplomatic ties between Arab Countries and Israel. Four Arab Countries (UAE, Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco) for different reasons have signed Abraham Accords and have established normal relations with Israel. A related important factor diluting the support for Palestinians was the Shia-Sunni rift in the Middle East. The Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are competing for the leadership of the region. Since Shias are in minority in the region, Iran has cultivated Shai groups or other groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza to strengthen her position in the region. Iran rising influence in the region is not appreciated by Sunni Arab states led by Saudi Arabia. Though China has stepped in 2023 to bring rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it has not succeeded well. Thus, what we witness now is the fragmented Arab world with deep strategic footprints of major powers like the US, Russia, China and others.

It was in the background of the above shifting strategic landscape in the Middle East that India rearticulated her policy response to both the Palestine and larger region of the Middle East. The main points of this pragmatic shift in India’s foreign policy towards Palestine can be understood under the following points:

  1. India has established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992. Both countries have strengthened their strategic ties in last three decades in the fields of defence, agriculture and irrigation. Now, ties between India and Israel have reached an irreversible condition. India was quick to criticise Hamas Attack against Israel on 7 October, 2023. In 2024, India has supplied non-combat man power to Israel.
  2. India has initiated a broad framework known as ‘Think West’ policy which aims to develop close strategic and economic ties with the major players of the region-Saudi Arab, Iran, UAE, Israel Egypt and others. Under this policy, India has developed strong partnership with UAE, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arab in the field of trade and investment as well as connectivity and other areas. In 2016, India and Iran have signed the Chabahar Port Agreement, which will give India access to Central Asia and Afghanistan.  India, US, UAE and Israel have established a multilateral forum in 2021 known as I2 U2 to support infrastructure development in the region. India, with regional partners has announced the launch of IMEEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) in 2023 during the G-20 Summit in 2023. This Corridor will pass through UAE, Saudi Arab and Israel to reach Europe. Thus, Think West policy dictates the balance and pragmatic approach in the region in all issues including Palestine Issue.
  3. However, India’s pragmatic approach does not mean leaving the cause of a separate state of Palestine. India still supports the separate state of Palestine in the framework of two-state solution of Palestine problem. Even in the post-cold war era, India has always played a proactive role in garnering support for the Palestinian cause in multilateral fora. India has consistently supported, cosponsored, and voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolutions securing the right to self-determination of Palestinians (Res.74/139, 2020), and its status as a non-member State at the UN (Res.67/19, 2012). In 2011, India also voted in favour of Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO. India has started the first ever Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) with Palestine in May 2015. The second and third round of FOCs was held in April 2017 and September 2020 respectively (MEA:2023).  PM Modi became the first Indian PM to visit West bank in February 2018.

While replying to a question on India’s stand on Palestine issue in Rajya Sabha on 5 February, 2024, the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar submitted that ‘India’s policy towards Palestine has been long standing and we have always supported a negotiated two State solution, towards establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognized borders, living side by side in peace with Israel. India has strongly condemned the terror attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and also the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict’. He further submitted that India remain concerned at the security situation and have called for a ceasefire, release of all hostages and peaceful resolution of conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. India emphasized the need for safe, timely and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine. Since the beginning of Israel- Hamas conflict, 13 resolutions concerning Palestine were brought in UNGA out of which India voted in favour in 10 resolutions and abstained on 3 resolutions. India released $ 5 million last year and we have disbursed another $ 5 million this year to UNRWA (the UN Agency for assisting Palestine refugees) Recently, India also sent 65 tonnes of medicines to UNRWA and Palestine Ministry of Health in October and November 2024.  (MEA:2024). During the anniversary of the Arab League’s formation, Ambassador supported the Indian position in statement issued on 22 March, 2024.He remarked that India has displayed “steadfast dedication” to the cause of Palestine by extending humanitarian assistance and by supporting a “two-state solution” to the Israel-Palestine crisis (Bhattacharejee:2024).

In brief, while India has adopted a policy of strategic pragmatism towards Palestine issue in the post-cold conditions under the broad framework of ‘Think West’, India still continues to support the cause of a separate state of Palestine within the much discussed two-state solution of this problem.

Conclusion

Palestine issue is not only a longstanding problem, but it is also the most complex global problem of our time. Due to the intervention of a number of external and global factors and shifting stance of regional players, the solution of this problem has alluded any viable solution so far. India’s policy stand on this issue has been motivated by the two set of factors: India’s own national interests and the changing nature of global and regional strategic conditions from time to time. The impact of these factors is clearly visible in India’s policy towards Palestine during the cold war era and the post-cold war era. While India extended one-sided unqualified support to Palestine and Arab States during cold war, it shifted her policy towards strategic pragmatism during the changing condition in the post-cold war era. At present, India maintains balanced and mutually beneficial relations with all regional actors like Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel under her ‘Think West’ framework, but at the same time, India still supports the cause of an independent Palestine states, which will co-exist along with Israel under the two-state solution. The subtle shift in India’s policy towards Palestine issue underlines the continuity and change in India’s foreign policy.

REFERENCES

Representative Office of India (Retrieved 2025) India-Palestine Relations. Representative Office of India, Ramallah, West Bank. Available At https://roiramallah.gov.in/pages.php?id=32

MEA (2023) India Palestine Bilateral Relation, MEA, Government of India. Available At: https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/India-Palestine_Bilateral_Relations.pdf

MEA (2024) Question NO 108 India’s Position on Palestine. Media Centre, MEA, government of India. Available At:  https://www.mea.gov.in/rajya-sabha.htm?dtl/38690/QUESTION+NO+108+INDIAS+POSITION+ON+PALESTINE#:~:text=We%20released%20$%205%20million%20last,Palestine%20are%20at%20Annexure%20II.

Bhattacharejee, Kallol (2024) India displayed ‘steadfast dedication’ to Palestine cause: Arab League ambassador. The Hindu (Online), 22 March, 2024.

Appadorai, A and M. S. Rajan (1988) India’s Foreign policy and Relations. South Asian Publishers Private Ltd, 1988. PP. 376-377.

Zeidan, Adam (2025) Al Aqsa Mosque. Britannica. Available At: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Al-Aqsa-Mosque

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