(This is a reprint from NewsBred).
There's
been a disquiet in India's
public space over Modi government's rejection of US
President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem
as Israel's
Capital in a United Nations General Assembly resolution recently.
This
disquiet has grown to anger after Palestinian envoy in Islamabad was seen in
the company of Mumbai attack mastermind and global terrorist Hafiz Saeed in
Rawalpindi though a strong protest by India since then has led to envoy's
recall to home by the Palestinian Authority.
The
erudite supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are questioning why he would
stand with the Palestinian cause and vote against US, and Israel, having worked so hard to get both of them eating
out of his hand lately.
Modi
had become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel
in July 2017 and the latter's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit
India
in the first fortnight of the new year.
Israel's support in the
realm of technology, agriculture, security and defense has ramped up significantly
in recent times and Trump misses no opportunity to gush over India and its leader.
The
rabid supporters of BJP are aghast why their government would stand by
"ungrateful" Muslims while it's erudite patrons are questioning why New Delhi didn't abstain
from voting as 35 others had done.
Adding
to the chill is US
ambassador to UN Nikki Haley's crude words --this vote will make a
difference"on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN." Trump
threatened to cut down funds to those who opposed him and Netanyahu called the
UN a "a house of lies."
The
truth is, India
did everything right on all three counts which should matter for the country:
beneficial, practical and moral.
About
19 per cent of India's total
world trade is accounted for in the Middle East (as compared to nearly 1 per
cent with Israel)
which ought to halt in track the juggernaut of criticism. Such scales of
benefit could only be denied by fools, if not blind.
The
practical takeaways, if anything, are bigger. US has fallen flat on its face in
West Asia and its strategy to sow discord and anarchy through Iraq invasion and
conduits for the growth of Islamic State (IS) has been successfully reversed by
Russia, in alliance with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. So much so that even a
traditional US supporter Turkey is on
the opposite side of the fence.
The
vacuum of US in the Middle East would soon be filled up by Russia in alliance with China which is
using its typical trade and infrastructure growth route to look for strategic
stranglehold in the region. India
would be foolish to be seen standing in opposition to the new Big Boys in the
region. India can't overlook
the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) too which would encircle it in an
iron clasp more so since China
is parking itself on ports of Sri
Lanka. Letting go of West
Asia at this stage would be a suicide, no less.
By
rejecting the Trump's move on Jerusalem, India is also letting the world know of its
independence lest it be seen as a US lackey. It would earn India
respect and a sense among its friends that it's a principled ally. Further, India can't
allow itself to be bound by Trump's often hasty and boorish decisions.
Absentation
would've been a paper umbrella--only giving the notion of protection against a
downpour. It would still have earned a scorn from the free world, without quite
endearing it to US or Israel.
Worse, it could've emboldened them to see if they could kick around India in
future.
India's decision to
stand on its moral compass would draw a host of lesser nations in its orbit. Forget
criticism, Modi government's move deserves a standing ovation.
To
brush up history for the uninitiated, Israel
has been controlling the eastern Jerusalem
since the 1967 six-day war. It's being sought by the Palestinians as the
capital for its future state.
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