Violent religious extremism of Hamas and other forces threatens not only Israel but also moderate Arab states

The violent religious extremism of Hamas and other forces threatens not only Israel but also moderate Arab states in West Asia. These shared concerns have opened much space for cooperation between Israel and several Arab states. 

It’s a pity that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist politics prevented Israel from taking full advantage of the possibilities to build a “New Middle East” in partnership with Arabs.

Palestinians carrying their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images/'The Guardian' 

The divisions within Palestine, too, have become deep between the Palestine Authority in Ramallah and the Hamas in Gaza. 

Contrary to widespread perception, the NDA government is not abandoning Palestine. It maintains solid ties with the PA, and Modi travelled to Ramallah in 2018. The NDA continues to support a two-state solution to the crisis in Israel-Palestine relations. 

However, the Modi government is unwilling, though, to fudge the question of terror as the Congress Working Committee did on Monday or hide behind “root causes” (the Palestine question) to stay silent on the Hamas attack. 

“Root causes”, it might be recalled, is also part of Pakistan’s argument that there can be no peace with India (and no end to cross-border terror) until the Kashmir question is resolved (to its satisfaction) . -- C Rajamohan in 'Indian Express' 

 The political focus on India’s current solidarity with Israel masks the extraordinary transformation of Delhi’s ties with the Arab world in the last decade. 

For all its rhetoric on supporting Arab causes, the UPA government struggled to modernise the relationship with Arab countries. 

Under the NDA, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have emerged as important strategic partners. 

If India was hobbled by its mercantilist approach to the oil-rich Gulf in the past, the Khaleeji capital today promises to contribute massively to economic growth.

Also, the Modi/NDA government ended India’s traditional anti-Western stance in the Middle East. 

Limiting the Anglo-American role in the Middle East was among the main objectives of Indian diplomacy in the Nehru years. As Indian foreign policy acquired a more radical orientation in the 1970s, bashing the West passed off as policy. 

Today, India is in a quite different place; it partners with the US, Israel, and the UAE in the I2U2 grouping. Delhi has teamed up with the US, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to build a corridor between the Subcontinent and Europe through the Arabian Peninsula. 

India’s unambiguous critique of Hamas terror puts it on the same side as the West, even as Russia, China and much of the Global South offer a wishy-washy “two-handed” reaction to the terror attack. The clarity of India’s response underlines its interest-driven foreign policy.