INDIA’S PAYBACK TIME TO ISRAEL
by Dr. Subhash Kapila
In international relations, as in human relations a payback time occurs
when one of the parties helping the other all along, itself needs support
and understanding. In terms of India-Israel relations, it is payback time
now for India. Israel today is under severe attack by a succession of
suicide bombings resulting in the loss and wounding of hundreds of
innocent Israeli civilians lives. These suicide attacks against Israel
have been launched by Palestinian terrorist organisations and other
Islamic Jehadi organisations, mostly operating from Palestinian areas.
When Israel retaliated with military operations to root out the menace
of suicide bombings, all of a sudden the conscience of the world’s human
right crusaders, liberalists and the media woke up in a shrill outcry
against Israel. They seemed to project a perverse argument that terrorists
and suicide bombers have human rights while the innocent Israeli civilians
targeted in super-markets and cafes, do not qualify for the same.
Indian readers of the discerning type would be struck by the similarity
of this argument with a similar campaign in the Indian media against
Indian security forces engaged in combating Pakistan sponsored Islamic
Jehadi terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir including suicide bombers.
Strangely, another similarity exists between the Indian and Israeli
situation today. General Musharraf of Pakistan refuses to condemn the
Islamic Jehadi terrorist and suicide bombers playing havoc with civilian
lives in Jammu and Kashmir and in various other Indian States. Similarly,
Chairman Arafat in Palestine has resisted all efforts to condemn the
terrorist and suicide bombers operating against Israel.
India -No Double Standards on Terrorism Issues: Lately, Palestinian
representatives and others have met even the Indian prime Minister to
intervene in the on-going Israeli military campaign against the
Palestinian terrorists and suicide bombers. Efforts are being made to seek
Indian condemnation of Israeli military counter-terrorism actions.
Leaving the political considerations aside for a while, the moral
considerations attendant on this issue negate any official Indian
condemnation of Israel’s counter-terrorism operations. The prime moral
consideration here revolves around answers to three crucial questions,
namely:
* Are terrorism and suicide bombings against innocent civilian
targets, morally defensible?
* Are terrorism and suicide bombings in the eyes of international
community, a legitimate political weapon to kill and maim, hundreds of
innocent civilian lives, in pursuance of political causes?
* Are terrorists, suicide bombers, their sponsors and their abettors
entitled to the protection of Human rights and democracy?
For India, the resounding answers will have to be "No" in
unambiguous terms. India cannot afford to display double standards on the
terrorism issue in the light of similar problems extending from Kashmir, to
Bombay, to Coimbatore, to the Indian Parliament and to Godhra.
There can be no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in the answers to the above
questions.
Israeli and Palestinian Support for India - A Comparative Analysis:
Some would argue that it is unfair to carry out a comparative analysis of
Israeli and Palestinian support to India. The reason that they are likely
to advance is that Israel is an independent state and that Palestine has
yet to emerge as one. This argument is not sustainable as Palestine is
accorded and enjoys all the political trappings of a state.
Israel, even when it did not have diplomatic relations with India, has
always extended unreserved political, strategic and military
co-operation and support. lately, the following needs to be cited:
* During Kargil War, emergency military supplies needed by India were
flown in by Israel within 24 hours.
* Israel has emerged as a valuable source of India’s defence
equipment needs. It is an assured source with no politically coercive
strings attached.
* Israel has given unreserved support to India on the Kashmir issue.
* Israel has not only supported India’s counter-terrorism
operations but also provided expertise and equipment for India’s needs
* Israel is a valuable source for India’s intelligence needs on
terrorism.
For appreciating the full contours of Israeli support to India, readers
are advised to see a paper by this author: "India-Israel Relations:
The Imperatives and Enhanced Strategic Cooperation"
In marked contrast to Israel’s cooperation and support to India,
Chairman Arafat, basking in the glow of unreserved Indian support extended
to him by successive Congress and United Front Governments, as a result of
their Arab-centric policies (determined by Muslim vote-banks) invites the
following criticism:
* Arafat has never condemned Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir.
* Islamic Jehad and suicide bombings all over India have never been
condemned by Arafat.
* Arafat glowed when Pakistan nuclear weapons tests took place.
He
welcomed it and termed it as not Pakistani nuclear bomb, but an
"Islamic nuclear bomb".
Chairman Arafat’s political Dependability: In politically
conflictual relationships, the dependability of political leaders on both
sides comes into focus. In the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the political
dependability of Chairman Arafat comes into sharper focus, in view of the
questionable strategies and instruments used by him.
It is quoted: "For example Yassir Arafat compared his position
vis-a-vis Israel to that of Islamic conquerors who defeated both the Jews
of Arabia and the Crusaders ‘we respect agreements the way that the
Prophet Muhammad and Salah-al-Din( Saladin) respected the agreements which
they signed’ Arafat explained. The truce agreements were signed at the
time of weakness and unilaterally violated by both leaders once
circumstances were ripe for defeating the enemies. Arafat used these
examples to justify a possible unilateral violation of his agreements with
Israel, in order to revive the war against Israel whenever the Arabs were
ready" (Bodansky 1999)
Once again a strange similarity appears here in relation to Pakistan.
General Musharraf of Pakistan, in his widely televised address of
September 17, 2001 used the same analogy, in relation to his temporising
of Pakistan’s strategic interests with USA. Readers may kindly see the
following analysis by this author: "Pakistan’s President Musharraf
Unmasked"
Conclusion: India’s national interests should determine its
postures and pronouncements on global conflictual issues. India’s
national interests cannot be made subservient to domestic vote banks or ill-conceived postulations of idealistic
liberalists and the media.
India’s national interests demand that it is now pay-back time for
India to extend unreserved political support to Israel in its
counter-terrorism operations. This is also a splendid opportunity for
India to project that it does not adopt double standards on terrorism,
suicide bombers and the need for strong retaliatory action by the state to
counter these.
(Dr. Subhash Kapila is an International Relations and
Strategic Affairs analyst. He can be reached on e-mail for
discussion at esdecom@vsnl.com)
