India's Balanced Response to the Israel-Palestine Gaza Conflict

摘要

India's lack of open support to Israel during the 11-day Gaza conflict in May between Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which recently ended in a ceasefire, was taken with a pinch of salt by the Israeli side. Rony Yedidia Clein, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Israeli Embassy in India said in a virtual interaction, "Israel believed India did not show "public expression" of support for the country, unlike some other nations", adding, "When we spoke with our Indian counterparts, we found an understanding from them, although they did not go public, (or) have such public expressions of support as other countries did. Just imagine what would have happened if rockets had been fired on Delhi as they were fired on Jerusalem on the first day of the campaign? Every country has the right to defend its sovereignty and its citizens." Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his gratitude to 25 countries which did not include India. "Thank you for resolutely standing with the flag of Israel and supporting our right to self-defence against terrorist attacks," read the tweet, showing the flags of the supporting countries. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ambassador to India, Adnan Mohammad Jaber Abualhayjaa, thanked New Delhi for "strongly supporting the cause of the Palestinian people."