Indo-Palestinian relations

                           Indo-Palestinian relations have been largely influenced by the independence struggle against British colonialism. After India achieved its independence in 1947, the country has moved to support Palestinian self-determination following the partition of British India. In the light of a religious partition between India and Pakistan, the impetus to boost ties with Muslim states around the world was a further tie to India's support for the Palestinian cause. Though it started to waver in the late 1980s and 1990s as the recognition of Israel led to diplomatic exchanges, the ultimate support for the Palestinian cause was still an underlying concern.Beyond the recognition for Palestinian self-determination ties have been largely dependent upon socio-cultural bonds, while economic relations were neither cold nor warm.
                      Background
                     India was the first non-Arab country to contemporaneously recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization's authority as "the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people." A PLO office was set up in the Indian capital in 1975, with full diplomatic relations established in March 1980. In return, India opened a Representative Office in Gaza on June 25, 1996. Indian support was said to extend to "consistent and unwavering support" on the Palestinian issue, where it shared the perception that the question of Palestine is at the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict. India has thus consistently supported the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to a State and the consequent imperative need for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 and 425, as well as the principle of "Land for Peace." India has also supported the Madrid Conference of October, 1991.
Continued support
Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006, India came out, surprisingly, saying Israeli use of force was "disproportionate and excessive."
India participated in the 2007 Annapolis Conference and the consequent donors conference. India's government noted the direct relevance for India on the issue and favoured the creation of "sovereign, independent, united states of Palestine" asserting that its support for the cause remains unwavered. External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, briefed the Consultative Committee in his ministry saying, "India's support to the Palestinian cause has not wavered." Practically a year later, as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, India gifted a piece of prized real estate in the Indian capital’s elite diplomatic enclave for the building of an embassy of the Palestinian National Authority's President (PAP) Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas will lay the foundation stone of the chancery-cum-residence complex of the embassy of Palestine, where the PAP Abbas would formally dedicate the building to the people of Palestine from the people of India. The gift underscored India’s "unwavering solidarity and commitment to an independent Palestine" and was seen by some to balance its growing relations with Israel. On his visit, the PAP said that India had played a great role in West Asia peace process. After the ceremonial reception and a guard of honour at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan, Abbas said relations between India and Palestine had always been good and that the two countries were making efforts to improve such relations. "You know how good relations we have, between India and Palestine since [the] great Indira Gandhi and [the] great Yasir Arafat. And everyday, it’’s improving. We are very glad with the help and the support of the Indian people to the Palestine."The next day the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "India believes that the solution should be based on the relevant U.N. Resolutions, the Arab Peace Plan and the Quartet road map resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel."A joint statement also added that "India also called for an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and for an early and significant easing of restrictions on the free movement of persons and goods within Palestine."
Domestic Palenstinian controversy arose, however, as Abbas received some flak for his intransigence. On the visit to India he stated that the country's "growing relationship with Israel is not a matter of concern for [the] Palestinians" as New Delhi's support for Palestinian independence remained clear. He was condemned for making an "utterly irresponsible, gratuitous statement" as "shameful" as it was "politically futile" and stood no chance to win the PA anything in return. Without an apparatus of Palestinian democratic accountability by the representatives of the people the flood of official Palestinian concessions was "guaranteed to continue unabated" as it would cause further damage to the struggle for "inalienable rights." While talking about India's growing engagement with Israel, particularly in the field of defence, Abbas said, "India's relations with Israel is its sovereign decision. We are not going to interfere. We know very well that India is supportive of the Palestinian struggle for achieving its own independence." His controversial comments were in stark contrast to report than India became Israel's second largest trading partner, while India became Israel's largest arm's market and the latter became the former's largest arms supplier. However, it was also said that the Palestinian economy has "incredible potential" which could be unleashed if the Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement were lifted, this was accorded by the regional World Bank chief just after a high-level World Bank delegation inaugurated a sewage storage facility on a rare trip to the Hamas-ruled Gaza.
While Indian support has often relied on the age-old, and often qualifiable propaganda basis, certain points did bound the pre-partition states of Ireland, India, and Palestine. On this front, where Israel "unabashedly defends the rights of Jews over all others, India (as a state) has never claimed religious exclusivism for it's [sic] Hindu citizens,"this gave credence to a legitimate support for the Palestinian cause. It was also showed, through academic analysis, that "economic factors can have a profound impact efforts to resolve conflict peaceably."With this aforementions disclaimer, India could, theoretically, be an important ally to improve tensions. Studies of such parallels have also shown that economic factors do now draw positive yields.

Tharoor meets Abbas, assures India’s support to Palestine

New Delhi, Feb 12 :

        

          Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Friday met Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor who reassured the visiting leader of New Delhi’s support for peace and development in the Middle East.

“(I had an) excellent meeting with President Abbas and (Foreign Minister Riyad al) Maliki of Palestine,” Tharoor wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter, shortly after the meeting.

Tharoor said he had a “thorough discussion” on the political situation and peace process in the Middle East. He also assured Abbas and Maliki of “Indian help for Palestine”, the minister added.

Abbas arrived in New Delhi Thursday on a two-day unannounced visit to India. The trip comes even as he came under a cloud after a leading Israeli television channel broadcast a tape showing Abbas’ aide allegedly trying to receive sexual favours from a Palestinian woman.
The meeting with Tharoor comes a day after Abbas met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who announced $10 million aid for Palestine.
Manmohan Singh in his meeting with Abbas reiterated India’s commitment to the Palestinian cause in line with United Nations Security Council calling for a sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine.
“The prime minister announced a grant of $10 million as budget support to the Palestinian National Authority and reassured Abbas of India’s support for economic and social development,” an official said.
Manmohan Singh hosted a dinner for Abbas and his delegation. The two leaders held discussions on the fresh efforts at initiating a peace process in the volatile Middle East region.
“They also discussed the Russian proposal for a meeting of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the US (the Quartet working for peace in the Middle East),” the official said.
The visit of the Palestinian president comes about a fortnight ahead of Manmohan Singh’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
India has been supporting a peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict. In 1974 it recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. India in 1988 became the first non-Arab country to recognise the state of Palestine.
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We must never forget Gaza

                                                                                         By Khalid Amayreh

Despite a slight improvement in the general humanitarian situation, the Gaza Strip remains a disaster area. In fact, in terms of the sheer destruction of homes and infrastructure, the coastal enclave can be compared to quake-stricken Haiti, with the main difference lying in the fact that while the Caribbean island’s calamity was a natural disaster, the Gaza disaster was inflicted by the criminal Israeli regime.    
Today, Israel continues to prevent a large number of consumer products from entering Gaza. This policy, often justified by security considerations, has actually nothing to do with security. It is a deliberate measure aimed at further tormenting the inhabitants of Gaza by showing them that Israel has the final say and that they would have to submit themselves to the Zionist will. This is how the Nazis behaved toward the inhabitants of the Ghetto Warsaw, forcing them to smuggle food and other consumer products into the camp.
            What is more scandalous is that the Zionist regime is adamantly preventing the entry into Gaza of building materials needed for the reconstruction of the estimated 40,000 homes destroyed, either completely or partly during last year’s Nazi-like onslaught against the impoverished territory.
Unfortunately, this callous and criminal policy is not being challenged by the international community which keeps issuing platitudinous remarks about the need to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, this is while thousands of Gazans, whose homes were destroyed by the Nazis of our times, remain without shelter and are totally exposed to the elements of nature.
      In fact, the enduring nightmare in Gaza is beyond the pale of common sense. The Israelis, who killed more than 1400 Gazans, including more than 350 children last year alone, claiming they did it in self defense, are maintaining this suffocating blockade as an expression of sadism, callousness and hateful vindictiveness. What else can be said about a government whose ministers and spokespeople routinely appear on TV screens bragging and gloating over the suffering of Gaza children?
    There is no doubt that the continued blockade of Gaza has exposed the brutal ugliness of Israel’s face, demonstrating that Israel and Nazi Germany are very much two sides of the same coin. Nonetheless, exposing Israel’s ugly face alone won’t save Gazan lives or enable the thoroughly tormented inhabitants of the largest detention camp in the world to rebuild their lives, torn into smithereens by a state that murders, steals and lies and then claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East.
    Hence, it is important to make every conceivable effort and make every possible undertaking to help Gaza rebuild its life and restore a semblance of normal life. Undoubtedly admirable efforts have been made by courageous men and women from around the globe who often put their lives at risk in order to highlight the Gaza plight. However, it is imperative that more qualitative and pro-active efforts be made in order to make a real difference.
      In short, Gaza must never be allowed to die quietly or silently. This was the message more than three years ago when the cruel blockade began. This is still the message today; because the overall situation in Gaza doesn’t really differ much now from what it was three years ago.
     Unfortunately, we can’t rely much on the “good will” of most countries, perhaps with the exception of some magnanimous governments such as the Turkish government which has utilized much of the diplomatic weight of the Turkish state in order to help the just cause of the oppressed people of Gaza.
               The Obama administration, which many people had given the benefit of the doubt when it came to power more than a year ago, has turned out to be quite important in the face of Israeli insolence and arrogance of power.
Similarly, Europe is doing nothing in real terms, apart from issuing nice-sounding statements about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to allow Gazans to rebuild their homes.
And Egypt, the supposedly brotherly neighboring Arab country which is supposed to hasten to aide Gaza is completing and perfecting a nefarious underground concrete wall along its borders with Gaza in order to prevent the smuggling of food into the blockaded region.
    Even the Palestinian Authority (PA) is implicitly encouraging Israel and Egypt and the West to keep up the pressure on Gaza in the hope that this pressure would prompt the people of Gaza to rise up against Hamas.
Well, how can such an entity, which is colluding and conspiring with Israel against its own people, be a true party to any Palestinian national reconciliation?
     In light, it is necessary to once again mobilize the peoples of the world to rise up and demonstrate loudly in order to exert pressure on their respective governments to pressure Israel to put an end to this shameful, sadistic and cruel collective punishment.We need to see millions of peoples take to the streets everywhere to demonstrate for Gaza and for humanity. In the final analysis, Gaza has become the ultimate test for humanity’s moral commitment.
If we, God forbid, don’t succeed in saving Gaza from the claws of Zio-Nazism, the future of humanity itself will be bleak.

Indian PM reiterates support to Palestine

Support for Palestine is an article of faith for us

 ::::::Manmohan Singh was born in Gah, Punjab (now in Chakwal District, Pakistan) on Sept, 26, 1932. After the partition of British India, he migrated to Amritsar, India. He attained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a topper from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and went on to read Economics at Cambridge and completed his D.Phil at Oxford in Britain. In 1997, the University of Alberta presented him with an Honorary Doctor of Laws.

The University of Oxford awarded him an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree in June 2006, and in October 2006, the University of Cambridge followed with the same honor. St. John’s College further honored him by naming a PhD Scholarship after him, the Dr. Manmohan Singh Scholarship.

During both our meetings, I was impressed by Dr. Singh’s courtesy, calm and steely confidence, no matter what the many challenges facing his country, internally or externally. Answering questions he is precise and to the point, reflecting his clear vision of India in the 21st century. And that for me is what makes Dr. Singh so refreshing a leader to interview.



By Faheem Al-Hamid



Q: Both India and Saudi Arabia have hailed the visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to New Delhi in January 2006 as a landmark development marking the start of strategic relations between the two countries. Today, four years later, what is your assessment of the progress made in this reinvigorated partnership that was initiated as part of King Abdullah’s ‘Look East’ policy? What are the most significant achievements so far?

A: The visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to India as Chief Guest at our Republic Day in January 2006 was a landmark event. This was the first visit of a Saudi ruler to India after 50 years. The Delhi Declaration signed by His Majesty King Abdullah and me enshrined our commitment to pursue a common strategic vision for promoting regional peace and security and for the enhancement of our relations in the political, economic, security and cultural fields.

My return visit to Saudi Arabia will give us an occasion to once again reaffirm our commitment to work together to restore peace and stability in the Gulf; to promote economic development; to move forward in specific areas where there are immense opportunities – in energy cooperation, in pharmaceuticals, in many other areas where India needs the help of Saudi industry. In the same way we have capabilities in important areas like IT and pharmaceuticals, etc. We can jointly work together to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Gulf is our extended neighborhood. Five million people from India are working in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is a very important destination for our citizens. And we are very grateful to His Majesty and the government and the people of Saudi Arabia for the warm welcome they have extended to the people from India in Saudi Arabia.

For us, Saudi Arabia is a key strategic partner. We need to cooperate at the bilateral level. I have mentioned the possibilities of beneficial economic cooperation. At the same time, we seek the help of Saudi Arabia in tackling the problem of global terrorism, which is our common enemy. We also can cooperate to promote human resource development. We are living in a world where science and technology have emerged as the major determinants of power and wealth of nation. Therefore, our two countries can work together in promoting human resource development, in promoting research and development. I look upon my visit as an opportunity to upgrade our partnership to a new level of strategic partnership in which India and Saudi Arabia can work together to bring peace and prosperity to our region.

We have made considerable progress in realizing our vision to strengthen our bilateral partnership. There have been regular high-level ministerial exchanges as well as intensified interaction among the business community, academia and other sections of society. The meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission took place in November 2009, which has put in place an ambitious agenda for bilateral cooperation. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner with two-way trade of over $25 billion. The number of joint ventures in the Kingdom is over 500 with an estimated investment of over $2 billion (about SR7.5b). We welcome increased investments from Saudi Arabia into India especially in the infrastructure sector where mutually beneficial opportunities exist.



Q: Please give a brief synopsis of the talks that you intend to have with King Abdullah and other senior Saudi officials during your visit to Saudi Arabia this month. The visit is very significant since an Indian PM will be visiting the Kingdom after 28 years.

A: India and Saudi Arabia belong to the same extended neighborhood. In the Delhi Declaration, we had pledged to work together not just for our bilateral benefit, but also to promote peace, stability and security in the region and the world. Both King Abdullah and I reject the notion that any cause justifies wanton violence against innocent people. We are strong allies against the scourge of extremism and terrorism that affects global peace and security.

During my visit, I propose to discuss with King Abdullah how can we promote greater stability and security in the region. We also have a substantial agenda for the advancement of bilateral relations in diverse areas such as trade and investment, energy, defense and security, social and cultural cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. I look forward to interacting with the members of the business community in Saudi Arabia and inviting them to be a partner in India’s rapid socio-economic transformation through major infrastructure, energy, industry and services related projects.



Q: Which are the agreements or MoUs that India will sign with the Kingdom during your visit?

A: Several cooperation agreements are likely to be signed during my visit which will represent a broad range of Indo-Saudi cooperation in the fields of economic cooperation, culture, science and technology and information technology. I am confident these will further enrich our close relations.



Q: Your visit takes place in the midst of regional tension in Iran and also in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the US and the Western countries continuing to exert pressure on Iran over the nuclear issue. What role do you foresee India playing in this context in partnership with the Kingdom?

A: We are witnessing significant geo-political developments, which will directly impact on the peace and stability in the region. All these issues need to be addressed through sustained efforts. I believe that India and Saudi Arabia, as two major countries in the region, have an important stake and responsibility in this regard. In my dialogue with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, I propose to review the regional scenario, and discuss how we can work together to address the complex issues at hand.

I sincerely believe that diplomacy is the best instrument to resolve tensions in the Gulf region including the problems that have arisen in dealing with the nuclear program of Iran. Diplomacy should be given its chance. I still hope that the world community can work together to find a peaceful way of resolving the differences that have arisen. Our own view has been that Iran is a signatory to the NPT; it is entitled to all the rights that go with its membership of the NPT; and it must also observe all the obligations that go as part of the membership of NPT.



Q: How do you assess India’s partnership with the Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, when it comes to fighting terrorism? What are the collective measures India is taking with the SAARC states and the Gulf states to combat this evil?

A: Terrorism remains the single biggest threat to peace, stability and to our progress. Global efforts are needed to defend the values of pluralism, peaceful coexistence and the rule of law. All the member countries of the GCC share India’s concerns relating to extremism and terrorism. We reject the idea that any religion or cause can be used to justify violence against innocent people. We have institutionalized our cooperation with the Gulf countries by putting in place various security cooperation agreements, including extradition treaties.

SAARC as an organization has committed itself to fighting terrorism. The SAARC Council of Ministers Meeting in February 2009 issued a Ministerial Declaration on Cooperation in Combating Terrorism. Given the fact that today extremist and terrorist activities straddle South Asia and West Asia and constitute a grave threat to our peoples, I agree that the SAARC and GCC anti-terrorism efforts should be more effectively coordinated.

Q: Does India intend to conclude a defense pact with the Kingdom?

A: We do not have a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia. Since King Abdullah’s visit to India four years ago, our defense ties have, however, diversified and become more substantial. We have exchanged visits of our service chiefs and naval ships, and Saudi officers have participated in our training programs, including at the prestigious National Defense College. We look forward to deepening our defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia.



Q: There is concern in the Mideast about growing Indo-Israeli defense cooperation in recent times, which many fear could be at the expense of India’s traditional support for Arab causes. How do you address this concern?

A: I would submit that this concern is misplaced. Our relationship with no single country is at the expense of our relations with any other country. Indeed, India’s relations with the countries in West Asia give us the opportunity to interact in diverse ways with this very important region.

As far as India’s support for Palestine is concerned, this is an article of faith for us. Our solidarity with the people of Palestine predates our independence. India supports a peaceful solution that would result in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Road Map and the relevant Security Council Resolutions. We also support the Arab Peace Plan.

I recently had the pleasure of hosting President Mahmoud Abbas and reiterating to him our steadfast support for Palestine and its people.



Q: How do you see the future relationship of India with the Arab world?

A: India’s ties with the Arab world go back several millennia. While we recall our historic ties with great pride, we do recognize that relationships have to be constantly nourished and revitalized so that they respond to new realities and aspirations. India and the Arab world are witnessing a rapid modernization of their societies and economies. The India of today is vastly different from what we were at the time of our independence. The same is true of the Arab world.

There is no conflict of interest between us. To the contrary, our destinies are tied together and we have much to gain by intensifying our cooperation with each other. We have a huge stake in each other’s success, and to that extent ours is a relationship that is of strategic importance.

I would like to see a much greater integration of our economies, higher flow of trade and investment, better connectivity and freer flow of ideas and people. This has in fact been our historical legacy, and we should revive that legacy. From our side, there are no impediments to a rapid, sustained and comprehensive expansion of relations between India and the Arab world.



Q: How can India play a more active role in enhancing the dialogue between East and West? How do you view King Abdullah’s initiative for the interfaith dialogue, which started in Madrid? What role can Indian Muslims play to enhance the interfaith dialogue?

A: India is a 5,000-year-old civilization that today represents a confluence of religions, languages and cultures. We deeply value the principles of peaceful co-existence and harmony among nations. We will continue to work with all like-minded countries to create a just and equitable international order that is conducive to meeting the challenges of poverty, illiteracy and hunger.

We deeply appreciate and support the idea of an inter-faith dialogue. The knowledge of religious beliefs and practices of other people is important and can foster greater understanding and tolerance. We have experience of this in our own country. Islam is an integral part of India’s democratic and secular fabric. Muslims in India are part of our national mosaic, and have enriched our society. Like all other Indians, they enjoy the full protection of our laws, and the full rights guaranteed to every Indian under our Constitution.

His Majesty has done a great deal to promote the dialogue among civilizations. And I look forward to renewing my discussions with him, which I enjoyed very much when talking to him.



Q: Some 1.6 million Indians live and work in Saudi Arabia. What steps your government is taking for their welfare?

A: We are extremely proud of the fact that the Indian community in the Gulf region has been contributing to the socio-economic development of the region. There are over five million Indian workers in the Gulf, of which almost two million live and work in Saudi Arabia alone. We are very grateful for the warm welcome they have received throughout the region.

The welfare of such a large overseas Indian community is a matter of high priority for my government. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, which we had set up six years ago, has worked tirelessly for the welfare of the Indian community in consultation with the host governments. The governments of several GCC countries have themselves set up mechanisms such as grievance redressal bodies and labor courts that are working closely with our officials. In addition, we have signed MoUs on labor and manpower with most of the GCC countries.

At the Indian end, we are in the process of reforming our own procedures, including better regulation of the recruitment process.

We have also put in place arrangements in all Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, to respond to workers’ grievances. These include a 24-hour helpline, temporary shelters, counseling centers, and strengthened Community Welfare Wings in our diplomatic missions.



Q: It takes a lot of courage for a democratic setup like India to try and bring the India-Pakistan talks back on track, especially when you are suffering from the scourge of terrorism. Is the resumption of dialogue at the secretaries’ level a change in the government stand? Your stated position is that while India is ready to keep talking to Pakistan, the stalled peace process can resume only if Islamabad acts against the alleged planners of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

A: There is no change in our position. We seek a peaceful and normal relationship with Pakistan. We should be good neighbors. In that quest we have consistently sought to engage those in Pakistan who are ready to work with us. There is no alternative to dialogue to resolve the issues that divide us. Today the primary issue is terrorism.



Q: How serious is the Pakistan Taliban threat to India, especially to Jammu & Kashmir which has bubbled up again. How could the Kashmir issue be solved once and for all?

A: As a neighbor, we cannot remain immune to the rise of extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, or on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Extremism and terrorism are major threats not only to India, but also to Pakistan, and all its other neighbors. It is in our collective interest that we resolutely oppose, resist and overcome terrorism and all those who nurture, sustain and give sanctuary to terrorists and extremist elements.

It is a fact that Jammu and Kashmir and its people have suffered repeatedly at the hands of terrorism from across the border. This has militated against the will of the people of the state, who have time and again voted in large numbers in democratic elections to unambiguously reject violence. We have taken several measures for the development of Jammu and Kashmir, and for its people to live in peace and harmony, as in the rest of the country. In so far as our dialogue with Pakistan is concerned, we are ready to discuss all issues with them in an atmosphere free from terrorism.



Q: How can Saudi Arabia and India work together and cooperate to find solutions to climate change and global warming?

A: The world needs a new energy paradigm in which renewable sources of energy will acquire an increasingly important role. I suggest that our two countries can work together to promote renewable sources of energy. We have the capabilities: Saudis have also the capabilities. And our two countries can work together to promote nuclear and renewable sources of energy as a major component of the new energy paradigm that the world sees. Also, the Copenhagen meet did not produce the desired results. I think before we go to Mexico there is need for increased collaboration, consultation between all like-minded countries, and Saudi Arabia is a very important player in G-20 as well as in international fora.

Therefore, we would be very happy to collaborate with Saudi Arabia in exchanging views and ideas on how the Mexico Conference can be a success story
     waantto read more   anotherlink PM supports palestine....