India and Israeli military officials have pledged to deepen and strengthen military ties even as images of Israel’s engineered starvation of Palestinians continue to send shockwaves around the world.
More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as an act of genocide.
More than 115 Palestinians, including 80 children, are estimated to have died from starvation in the since October 2023, including 15 who died of malnutrition on Monday.
Earlier this week, more than two dozen countries, including France and the UK, condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food”, further calling for Israel’s war on Gaza to end.
But as global condemnation and calls for an arms embargo on Israel mounted this week, on Wednesday, India’s defence secretary and the director general of Israel’s Ministry of Defence met in New Delhi and “agreed to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation with a long-term perspective”.
The meeting between Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and the Israel’s deputy chief of staff, Major General Amir Baram, signalled, once more, Delhi’s intention to remain committed to supporting Israel diplomatically and economically even as Israel loses the support of some of its staunchest allies.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
In the statement released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday, Delhi said its defence secretary “reiterated India’s zero tolerance approach to terrorism and condemned the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel and called for the release of all hostages.” It also narrated Israel’s “support for India’s fight against terrorism”.
The statement said the visit by the Israeli deputy chief of staff “marks a pivotal step in India-Israel defence relations and reinforces both sides’ commitment to enhance their strategic partnership,” the statement added.
Flurry of meetings
The meeting comes as part of a flurry of diplomatic and economic exchanges between the two states over the past several weeks.
On Wednesday, Delhi’s Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh held a meeting with Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar in the capital, in which Singh reiterated the country’s commitment to stand with Israel “during these difficult times”.
Singh is reported to have added that both countries shared a “strong relationship based on friendship, cooperation, and mutual respect”.
According to reports, the duo discussed using Israeli expertise to improve healthcare, education, parks, and solid waste management in Delhi.
“With Israel being a technologically advanced country, this kind of exchange of ideas and experiences will further strengthen the functioning of the corporation,” Delhi’s Commissioner Ashwani Kumar said.
The mayor’s comments were promptly slammed by Indian activists based in Delhi.
A letter circulating amongst activists described Singh’s comments as “a cruel, cold-blooded joke in the face of rivers of Palestinian blood.”
‘Mayor Singh’s disgraceful declaration that he ‘stands with Israel in difficult times’ is nothing short of a moral betrayal and a distortion of truth’
– letter from Indian activists
“Mayor Singh’s disgraceful declaration that he ‘stands with Israel in difficult times’ is nothing short of a moral betrayal and a distortion of truth,” a letter signed by several activists in India read.
“Whose ‘difficult times’ is he speaking of? It is not Israel but the people of Palestine who are enduring the most horrific times – relentless bombings, the destruction of hospitals, schools, homes, and the systematic blocking of essential food, water, and medical supplies.
“It is Israel that has unleashed a barbaric campaign of mass murder – targeting children, women, the elderly, and unarmed civilians without the slightest regard for international law or basic humanity,” the letter condemning the mayor’s comments, added.
The latest meetings come just two weeks after the Israeli government said it was finalising an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) with India.
IPAs are meant to address the risk of investing in each other’s countries at a time of rising insecurity.
Commenting on the IPA, Abdulla Moaswes, a Palestinian writer and academic based in the UK, told Middle East Eye the Indian government was using its ties with Israel to project “diplomatic victories to its voter base, amongst whom support for Israel is a popular sentiment”.
India is the world’s largest importer of Israeli weapons and Delhi is also emerging as a major co-producer of Israeli weapons.
Activists in India have been urging their government to impose an arms embargo after it discovered that Delhi had sent combat drones as well as an AI weapons system in aid of Israel’s war effort.
In December, Delhi said it would be guided by its “national interest” before reconsidering the transfer of weapons or arms sales to Israel.
