Good Relations Can Coexist with Support for Palestinians: S. Jaishankar on Israel-Palestine

At the Conclave 2024, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed concerns regarding India’s growing relationship with Israel and its potential impact on the nation’s support for Palestinian rights. He firmly stated, “I don’t think they do; I don’t think the criticism is valid. We say in public, and I myself said this when I went to the UN that yes, we have a strong and good relationship with Israel, but at the same time, we also believe that there must be a solution for the Palestinian problem.”

Jaishankar emphasized that the resolution should be the two-state solution, highlighting that “there must be a Palestinian homeland, but it has to be negotiated between the two.” He reassured that India's solid ties with Israel do not equate to a change in its stance on Palestine.

He reiterated that “good relations with Israel and support for a Palestinian homeland, in my view, co-exist, and that is the case with us.” However, he acknowledged the complexity of the situation, stating, “Right now, there is an issue in Gaza; there is a different issue in Lebanon. There are tensions between Israel and Iran. There are Houthis who are part of a regional issue who are firing missiles at different people. It’s very complicated.” Jaishankar noted that the current environment does not lend itself to mediation, stating, “Right now, it looks like how do you limit the conflict and find a way by which the humanitarian situation is met.”

Addressing the future of key initiatives such as I2U2 (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States) and the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor amidst the unrest in West Asia and disturbances in the Red Sea route, Jaishankar provided insights into ongoing diplomatic efforts. “Last year, when the G-20 was going on, a few countries got together—India, Middle Eastern countries, and European countries reached an agreement for a mutual connectivity solution through a connectivity corridor. So that from India to Europe, there is a smooth passage, logistics passageway, energy passageway, and a kind of modern, multi-modal connectivity corridor.”

He acknowledged the shift in focus following the attack on Israel on October 7, stating, “The attention of many of these countries shifted to the fighting, which was natural. But I want to tell you work is going on; we have projects with the UAE that are being executed, and the feasibility study with the Saudis is taking place when I was there in these two countries we were discussing it.”

Jaishankar stressed the importance of reliable supply chains in an increasingly risky global environment. “The world is becoming a very risky place; if there is war somewhere, if there is a terrorist attack somewhere, if there is a natural disaster somewhere, or if there is an accident somewhere, what happens is the world is full of supply checks; this tends to stop.” He cited the Suez Canal blockage as a significant disruption, noting, “One ship got stuck in the Suez Canal for a number of days; it completely disrupted trade between Europe and Asia.”

Looking ahead, he underscored the necessity for enhanced connectivity: “If we are looking at a more global world, supply chain is very important, but also in a world where climatic events will happen, conflicts will happen, and risks will mount, then we need more pathways.” He mentioned the International North-South Transport Corridor, which connects India to Chabahar Port through Iran, with hopes to extend it through Russia.

Jaishankar also discussed plans to explore new corridors from Chennai to Vladivostok via the Pacific Ocean and through eastern India via Manipur, reaching Myanmar and Vietnam. He concluded, “The project is right now going through slowly due to problems in Myanmar, but it’s still happening. From the Pacific Ocean through the Atlantic Ocean, we will get a corridor, of which the Indian segment will be very crucial. Maybe in the next 10 years, the entire picture of connectivity of the world can change.”

Under the Modi 3.0 administration, he emphasized efforts to modernize India's infrastructure, stating, “In the third term of Modi 3.0, we have increased the rail corridor; we are creating new deep-sea ports in India. PM Modi's idea through Gati Shakti is to modernize our infrastructure, not only for ourselves but to plug it into the bigger moment we will see, and that will have huge economic consequences for us.”

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