ISRAEL'S recent deadly assault on Gaza, as well as its targeting of Palestinians elsewhere in the occupied territories, has sparked outrage around the world.
Thousands of conscientious people of all faiths and nationalities took to the streets in cities around the world to condemn this butchery, while many of Tel Aviv's protectors and friends repeated the line that Israel has a right to "self-defense" — even as the Jewish state mercilessly murdered children in Gaza. Some powers that had previously supported the Palestinian cause, on the other hand, were notable in their quiet, ostensibly to appease Israel. India is a member of this group.
India's change of heart on the Palestinian cause isn't new; it's been decades in the making. India first extended support to the Palestinians, spurred on by a sense of Third World solidarity, with Yasser Arafat referring to Indira Gandhi as his "sister." Today, India is a staunch ally of Israel under the Hindutva flag, with Benjamin Netanyahu bragging about the “deep friendship” between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.