India fuels the war machine in Gaza while preaching peace

In both the war between Russia and Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas, India presented itself as a potential peacemaker. Now it turns out that India fuelled the war in Gaza by supplying Israel with weapons, drones and explosives.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a television interview: “We are the only ones who have a clear stand. We are on the side of peace. … And that is why the world has developed confidence in us that we are the only ones who do not talk about giving arms to anyone and do not talk about fighting anyone.” However, the facts on the ground show that India is far from playing the neutral peacemaker.

Neither Modi nor any of his talkative ministers have chosen to disclose credible reports of the supply of ammunition and arms to Israel. But the world is clearly taking note of India’s deception.

On May 15, a cargo ship named Borkum avoided docking in Spain because of protests on the coast. Nine European MPs had already written to the Spanish president to prevent the passage of the ship carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel. They said: “Allowing a ship carrying weapons for Israel to pass through is like allowing the transit of weapons to a country that is currently being investigated for genocide against the Palestinian people.”

The weapons shipment apparently originated in Chennai, India. An Al Jazeera investigation found: “The ship contained explosives loaded in India and was on the way to the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 30 km from the Gaza Strip. Maritime tracking sites show that it left Chennai in southeastern India on April 2 and circumnavigated Africa to avoid passage through the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthis are attacking Israel’s ships in retaliation for the war.”

The investigation quoted the Solidarity Network Against the Palestinian Occupation as saying that the ship was carrying 20 tons of rocket engines, 12.5 tons of rockets with explosive charges, 1,500 kg of explosives and 740 kg of charges and propellants for cannons.

A week later, a second ship arrived carrying weapons and ammunition from India, the Danish-flagged cargo ship Marianne Danicaapplied for permission to dock in the southeastern Spanish port of Cartagena on May 21. The ship was apparently transporting 27 tons of explosives from Chennai to the Israeli port of Haifa.

Spanish authorities reacted when they learned that the ship was carrying weapons for Israel. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the media: “The Foreign Ministry will systematically oppose such stopovers for an obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace.”

Munitions India Ltd, a state-owned company under the Ministry of Defense, was allowed to supply ammunition to Israel in January. The company says it is engaged in “production, testing, research and development and marketing of a comprehensive range of ammunition and explosives for the army, navy, air force and paramilitary forces.” It produces “small, medium and large caliber ammunition, mortars, rockets, hand grenades, etc. with in-house manufacture of primers, propellants and explosives.” In April, it applied for permission to export the same items to Israel again.

In February, it was reported that India had supplied Israel with 20 Hermes 900 medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), manufactured by Adani Elbit Advanced Systems India Limited in Hyderabad. The drones, which can be used for both surveillance and air strikes, are reportedly already in active use in the Gaza Strip.

Ironically, the Adani-Elbit joint venture was set up with Israeli company Elbit Systems, which was the first of its kind to manufacture the Hermes 900 drone outside Israel. The Adani facility reportedly converted 20 of them specifically for the Israel Defense Forces. Israeli media suggest that “this dramatic decision was probably approved by India’s highest officials.”

The Indian government has tried to balance its initial support for Israel by reaffirming its long-standing commitment to a two-state solution. But it never stopped supporting Israel, even when it endorsed humanitarian aid to Gaza. The arms supply to Israel continued secretly to fill war shortages, effectively contributing to the genocide in Gaza.

Just recently, fragments of rockets dropped by Israeli warplanes bearing the inscription “Made in India” were reportedly found following the Israeli bombing of a United Nations emergency shelter in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

According to strategy experts, the main reason for Modi’s inexplicably complicated situation is the defense relationship between India and Israel.

Israel is India’s fourth-largest supplier of military equipment and the largest foreign customer of Israeli defense giant Israel Aerospace Industries. In a widely read interview with Israeli publication YnetnewsFormer Israeli ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said India’s arms supplies were a quid pro quo for Israeli military supplies during the Kargil conflict.

He said Ynetnews“The Indians always remind us that Israel was there for them during the Kargil war in 1999. Israel was one of the few countries that stood by them and supplied them with weapons. The Indians do not forget this and could now return the favor,” he said.

The commitments could go even deeper. Israel supplies India with important high-technology defence equipment, particularly in the field of avionics. Refusing to help them in the face of war-related shortages would have consequences for both current and any future defence cooperation. India is therefore left with the unenviable role of maintaining arms supplies to Israel, even if this will provoke international criticism.

Modi, however, does not seem to be dissatisfied with his foreign policy decisions. Since coming to power in 2014, he has tried to ingratiate himself with Israel. He appears to have drawn inspiration from Israeli counterterrorism strategies in his “surgical strikes” against Pakistan. Israel’s resettlement policy in the West Bank and Gaza also seems to have inspired the (now apparently abandoned) attempt to resettle retired soldiers in “Sainik colonies” in the Kashmir Valley.

Supplying arms and ammunition to Israel may be a security necessity for India, but with Modi at the helm, the country may have a choice.

(Bharat Bhushan is a Delhi-based journalist.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.