U-turn on Palestine?

December 23, 2014 02:56 am | Updated 02:56 am IST

India’s foreign policy architecture and core philosophy are changing under Narendra Modi’s prime ministership (“India may end support to Palestine at U.N.,” Dec.22). For decades, Palestine has been struggling to get an identity. Moreover, what it is facing is a humanitarian and rights issue. If the government is planning a reversal, it should be done in consultation with other political parties as well.

Sriram Kannekanti,Hyderabad

The government’s decision is a retrograde one and represents a short-term solution to India’s policy woes. It is indeed a negative step for a country that prides itself on propagating human values and the time-tested weapon of ahimsa .

Vikram Sundaramurthy,Chennai

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense as England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs.” Ever since Israel became India’s biggest arms-supplier, the tectonic shift in our relations with it has become based on “enlightened self-interest”. The news report is not surprising.

S. Sultan Mohiddin,Kadapa

Any deviation will only alienate New Delhi from the Arab world. Even though there may be “expected benefits” in defence collaboration, such a major policy shift may well affect India economically in terms of crude oil imports. Extreme right-wing policies have always failed to survive, and it is time the BJP recognised this. Changing well-established policies especially to irritate the UPA is a wrong step.

A.V. Narayanan,Tiruchi

India’s support for the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians has been on the basis of the right to self-determination. It is true that in the changing geopolitical situation, growth in defence and diplomatic ties with Israel has always been on the cards, but our foreign policy should not give the impression of being guided by opportunism. India has performed an admirable balancing act on Palestine and Israel. While pragmatism should guide a country’s foreign policy, it should not be at the cost of sacrificing certain principles followed since Independence.

Irfan Shamim,New Delhi

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.