The bonhomie between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, an indicted war criminal, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accused of killing thousands of Muslims, was on full display this week in Israel. Both leaders committed to supporting the Afghan Taliban regime which is accused of facilitating cross-border terrorist attacks by the TTP in Pakistan. Mr. Modi was warmly welcomed by Mr. Netanyahu as a "brother". “You are a great friend of Israel, … Narendra. You are more than a friend. You are a brother,” Netanyahu told Modi when both leaders addressed the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Wednesday. In response, Mr. Modi said, “India stands with Israel, firmly, with full conviction, in this moment, and beyond" He was silent on the continuing genocide in Gaza, where the Israeli military has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Currently, India is Israel’s largest weapons buyer, sending billions of dollars into Israel’s defense industry each year. In 2024 as Israel waged its war on Gaza, Indian weapons firms sold Israel rockets and explosives that killed Palestinians, according to an Al Jazeera investigation.
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| Indian PM Modi Hugs Israeli PM Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Source: AP |
In October 2023, Mr. Modi became the first foreign leader to call Mr. Netanyahu and offer his full support to Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. He tweeted that he was "shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel", adding that "We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour". This tweet was posted immediately after the Hamas militants' unprecedented attack on Israel by air, land and sea. Modi's critics have noted that he has yet to tweet any condemnation of months-long killings of his fellow countrymen in Manipur which are continuing unabated. Nor has he issued any similar condemnation of the long and brutal Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. To those who know Modi, his reaction makes sense given the similarities between Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both leaders are extreme right-wing divisive politicians. Modi is a Hindu Supremacist and Netanyahu is a Jewish Supremacist. Both have a long history of murdering large numbers of Muslims living under their rule. Both are pursuing settler colonial policies; Modi in Kashmir and Netanyahu in Palestine.
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| More Americans Than Indians Have Negative Views Israel. Source: Pew |
Meanwhile, the polls indicate that more Americans (53%) than Indians (29%) have negative view of Israel. Most Indians, particularly Hindu Nationalists, have suffered from what Shashi Tharoor calls "India's Israel Envy". Here's an excerpt of Tharoor's piece published in "Project Syndicate" in January 2009:
"Yet, when Indians watch Israel take the fight to the enemy, killing those who launched rockets against it and dismantling many of the sites from which the rockets flew, some cannot resist wishing that they could do something similar in Pakistan. India understands, though, that the collateral damage would be too high, the price in civilian lives unacceptable, and the risks of the conflict spiraling out of control too acute to contemplate such an option. So Indians place their trust in international diplomacy and watch, with ill-disguised wistfulness, as Israel does what they could never permit themselves to do".
In a piece titled "The Settler Colonial Alliance of India and Israel" published in The Nation, Indian journalist Deeksha Udupa interviewed Azad Essa, author of “Hostile Homelands” – The new alliance between India and Israel". Here's what Essa told Udupa:
"Kashmir is a perfect example of another region being turned into a sort of testing ground (for Israeli weapons and methods). Both India and Israel already share many tactics. They both attack journalists and criminalize civil society. They both exercise collective punishment on Palestinians and Kashmiris. They both maim protesters. In Palestine, protesters are shot in the limbs. In Kashmir, protesters are blinded by lead pellets. Israeli drones, sensors, surveillance, and machine guns are all there, and Israeli methods of controlling the population have long existed in Kashmir—so much so that India is now producing some of these Israeli weapons in factories across India.".
Azad Essa argues that the Israeli occupation of Palestine has served as a model that Indians are replicating in Kashmir. He says that Israeli weapons, developed and field tested on Palestinians, have been used in Kashmir. Here are a couple of excerpts from his book "Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel": :
"So how did India, which once considered Zionism a form of racism, become Israel’s number one weapons trade buyer, accounting for 42% of Israel’s arms exports since Modi came to power in 2014?* How did India, the first non-Arab state to recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement that opposed colonialism and apartheid, simultaneously maintain its colonial occupation of Kashmir since 1947 and metamorphose into extolling Israel’s settlements as a model to colonize Kashmir with its own Indian settlers?"
"In the days leading to August 5, 2019 and in the weeks and months to come, Kashmir became a site of unfathomable cruelty. Thousands of Kashmiris were detained; pro-India politicians were placed under house arrest, pro-freedom leaders as well as minors were rounded up and thrown in jail. Young boys were shipped off to Indian prisons 1,500km away in Agra and Varanasi. Foreign journalists and international human rights groups were banned from access to Kashmir. The region was placed under a complete communication blackout. Cellular phones, Internet, landline services, and even the postal services were dismantled. News traveled by word of mouth. Journalists compressed photos and video onto memory cards and smuggled them out with passengers en route to Delhi. Schools, offices, banks, and businesses were closed for months. Life came to a standstill".
Here's India's JNU Professor speaking about illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir, Manipur and Nagaland:
https://youtu.be/KWp1E8xrY5E
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
South Asia Investor Review
Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto Lashes Out at India's Jaishankar
Gaza Genocide
India-Pakistan Nuclear Arms Race
Kashmir: 700,000 Indian Soldiers vs 7 Million Kashmiris
Israeli Settler Colonialism
India Promotes Half Truths About UNSC Kashmir Resolutions
Pakistan-China-Russia Vs India-Japan-US
Total, Extended Lockdown in Indian Occupied Kashmir
What is India Hiding From UN Human Rights Team?
Indian JNU Professor on Illegal Indian Occupation of Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland
Riaz Haq Youtube Channel
VPOS Youtube Channel
31 comments:
""So how did India, which once considered Zionism a form of racism, become Israel’s number one weapons trade buyer, accounting for 42% of Israel’s arms exports since Modi came to power in 2014?* How did India, the first non-Arab state to recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement that opposed colonialism and apartheid, simultaneously maintain its colonial occupation of Kashmir since 1947 and metamorphose into extolling Israel’s settlements as a model to colonize Kashmir with its own Indian settlers?""
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Answer (genius): Politics change. It is childish to expect that everything surrounding world order could change with time -- eg china's rise -- and one could even applaud some of them selectively, while expecting that Indian foreign policy should get stuck at Nehruvian era for eternity.
India should of course be willing to pay its price when it is due. It ceases to become a champion of colonised, or voice of global south or whatever. But it seems like that is a price it is willing to pay for now. Germany's invoice is also due at some point and politicians here tacitly agree that Germany's time as a moral master is gone in post gaza world.
Zen: “India should of course be willing to pay its price when it is due. It ceases to become a champion of colonised, or voice of global south or whatever”
Yes, you’re right.
India’s alliance with Israel is totally incompatible with its claim to be a leader of “the global south” or leadership role in BRICS. South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice over Gaza genocide. Brazil has formally joined the case in support of South Africa, and China has lauded South Africa for it. Iran has called Modi’s visit to Israel at this time as “unfortunate”.
Epstein Received Sensitive Military Intelligence Amid Gates Foundation Polio Campaign in Pakistan
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-sensitive-military-intelligence-bill-gates-pakistan-polio
Justice Department emails show that Epstein helped the Gates Foundation gain access to the Taliban—and received confidential reports and intelligence on Pakistani military operations.
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal surprising details about one particular episode: Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan. Epstein long maintained a close personal relationship with Gates as well as with officials from his charitable foundation, which he used to steer resources toward politically sensitive research projects and technology firms.
The email correspondence in the disclosures about Pakistan came a few years before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in neighboring Afghanistan. They also suggest that Epstein’s interest in the region was not strictly limited to public health matters. In a series of emails on the polio vaccination campaign from the International Peace Institute (IPI)—a nongovernmental organization that Epstein funded and often used as a vehicle for backchannel diplomatic efforts—Epstein also received confidential reports and on-the-ground military intelligence, including sensitive information about NATO operations at Zhob Airport, a small domestic airport in Balochistan, only an hour’s flight away from the Afghan capital in Kabul.
Epstein leveraged his relationship with Gates and contacts in the region to become a central figure in Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts from 2013 to 2018. By personally orchestrating the partnership between the Gates Foundation and IPI, Epstein positioned himself as the gatekeeper for the Gates-Pakistan relationship for five years. During this time he also explored developing backchannel contacts with the Taliban over polio eradication.
The fallout for Gates from his connection to Epstein continues. This week, he was scheduled to be one of the headline draws at India’s high-profile AI summit—a gathering to showcase the country’s ambitions to become a global artificial intelligence powerhouse—before the Microsoft founder abruptly announced he was dropping out of the event.
At a town hall meeting Tuesday with foundation staff, Gates acknowledged having two consensual affairs that were known to Epstein, but denied any involvement in illicit activity or contact with victims of sex trafficking, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Gates said he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein, claiming that he had been aware of an “18-month thing” that had previously restricted Epstein’s ability to travel—a reference to his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution—but had failed to properly scrutinize Epstein’s background before associating with him.
This is the latest in Drop Site’s series on Epstein. We are partnering with Jmail, a searchable inbox of Epstein’s emails, to make all the Epstein messages public.
- "Both leaders committed to supporting the Afghan Taliban regime.."
Did they? But I thought Pakistan wanted the Afghan Taliban to return to power all along. When the American forces were scouring Afghanistan for OBL and the Talibanis (and the Pakistani "ally" was pocketing dollars for their "support"), OBL was vacationing comfortably at a home in Abottabad and Taliban leaders and commanders were given refuge in Pakistan's border areas. It would seem the Pakistani establishment had mastered the skill of running with the hare and hunting with the hound, hoodwinking even the Americans. And when the Ashraf Ghani regime fell, it was the Pakistani establishment that seemed overjoyed with the turn of events, and India that was deeply worried. Who could forget Lt Gen Faiz Hameed's swagger in Kabul's Serena hotel sipping tea and uttering that famous line "ghabrana nahi", when India was sulking all the while? Why and how this double game unravelled and tables turned so quickly perhaps deserves some study.
- "In the days leading to August 5, 2019 and in the weeks and months to come, Kashmir became a site of unfathomable cruelty.."
I wouldn't consider detaining protesters, placing politicians under house arrest, and enforcing communication blackouts as "unfathomable cruelty" by any stretch. Pakistan has done pretty much the same or more in Balochistan with the "enforced disappearances" of Baloch protesters and activists, and China has done far worse to Uighurs (if you go by the UNHCR report). And compared to Palestinians, Kashmiris aren't being bombed, nor are they being expelled from their lands. Their political rights may have been curtailed, but that's all.
Narendra #Modi Is Using Brutal Repression to Silence the People of #Kashmir, with the complicity of #Indian intellectuals who seek to toxify the cause of Kashmir. #India #Manipur #Islamophobia #Hindutva
https://jacobin.com/2023/07/narendra-modi-kashmir-military-repression-censorship
BY
SOMDEEP SEN
India-controlled Kashmir is one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world, and any public display of a persistent Kashmiri national struggle meets with swift, violent, and indiscriminate repression. This pattern of silencing extends to the field of discourse as well.
The Indian political mainstream views any reference to Kashmiri rights and aspirations, whether spoken or written, as a manifestation of “fundamentalism,” “radicalism,” or (Pakistani-inspired) “terrorism.” The hard-right, Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi has carried this vilification of Kashmiris to new heights.
A History of Repression
The record of the Indian state’s repressive ways in Kashmir is extensive and well documented, going back decades before Narendra Modi’s rise to power. In 1993, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report titled “Rape in Kashmir: A Crime of War.” It showed that the Indian security forces routinely targeted civilians in the course of their efforts to quell the Kashmiri independence struggle, with rape used as a tool of counterinsurgency.
The report concluded that the security forces were “attempting to punish and humiliate the entire community” through systematic sexual violence against women. Another HRW report published the same year documented the routine torture of Kashmiri detainees as well as harassment and assault of health workers who were providing care. According to the report’s authors, the Indian authorities even “prevented ambulance drivers from transporting injured persons to hospitals for emergency care.”
The impunity with which the Indian armed forces have operated in the Kashmir Valley receives legal sanction from the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. This piece of legislation gives them emergency powers to maintain public order in so-called disturbed areas — all of which, civil society organizations argue, violate international human rights law.
There is ample evidence of this. Along with the acknowledged civilian death toll, there is the practice of enforced disappearances of Kashmiri men. Human rights activists estimated that between eight thousand and ten thousand people were “disappeared” between 1988 and 2007, approximately 60 percent of whom were civilians. People refer to the wives of the disappeared, who have often been missing for decades without being officially declared dead, as “half widows.”
There have also been several discoveries of unmarked mass graves in Kashmir. Eyewitnesses claim that those graves were dug under instruction from the Indian security forces, and that they contain the bodies of the missing Kashmiri men.
Blinding and Silencing
Since Modi took office, repression in Kashmir has been even more severe. Since 2010, the security forces have been using pellet guns as a supposedly “nonlethal” weapon for crowd control. In 2016 alone, they fired 1.2 million metal pellets in response to protests in the valley. The pellets left six thousand people injured, with 782 suffering eye injuries. Writing in the Guardian, journalist Mirza Waheed described it as an exercise in “mass blinding.”
A young Kashmiri student I spoke to in Mumbai describes the conditions in the state:
Stone pelting doesn’t happen that much anymore. But if anything does happen, the Indian soldiers quickly pick up anyone in sight. They will arrest you, take your paperwork, take your passport. In fact, in some cases, they will seize your property. (House demolition are quite common). This is normal in Kashmir.
True, but isn't this the same that Pakistan has been doing all along in Balochistan as well? Is the Pakistani state's repression of the Baloch activists and protestors and their "enforced disappearances" any better than what the Indian governments are accused of doing in Kashmir?
Vineeth: “True, but isn't this the same that Pakistan has been doing all along in Balochistan as well?”
There’s absolutely no comparison between the two.
1. Balochistan is recognized by the world as an integral part of Pakistan while Kashmir is not recognized as part of India.
2. Indian occupied Kashmir has 700,000 Indian troops, making it the world’s most militarized region.
3. There’s no evidence of mass graves in Balochistan but several mass graves have been found in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
https://youtu.be/FiJB7F4JEEE?si=Rd6w1oNxrD0GgFf0
Whatever the reason for the visit, Prime Minister Modi humiliated both himself and India. He acted and spoke like the leader of a minor state visiting a global power, desperate to curry favour.
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/prime-minister-modi-humiliated-india-during-his-visit-to-israel
From the outset, the visit to Israel by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, was questionable in its timing – months ahead of elections and at a moment when most world leaders are avoiding visits to the country or meetings with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, widely regarded as politically toxic to their public image. This is so even as, despite condemnations of the brutality of Israel’s war in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, many of those same leaders continue to do business with Israel as usual.
Yet the first day of the visit exceeded anything one might have imagined from a trip by the leader of one of the world’s largest and most important countries. In fact, it stands out as one of the most baffling – and embarrassing – visits by a foreign leader to Israel in recent memory.
Prime minister Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are not merely spouses but political partners, currently in the midst of an election campaign in which Modi served largely as a prop. When Modi’s plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport, he was greeted by Netanyahu – heavily made up, like a theatrical actor – and by Sara, who wore an orange-saffron suit, a color symbolising holiness in Hinduism. In a photograph Netanyahu posted on X, he can be seen pointing to his wife’s outfit; both of them also shared an image and a video of Modi warmly embracing Netanyahu.
On the morning of the visit, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement that effectively presented Modi not as an official guest of the State of Israel but rather as a private guest of the Netanyahu family. The statement said Modi had arrived at Netanyahu’s invitation, noting that the two leaders “maintain a close personal relationship, and that the deep and long-standing friendship between them powerfully radiates onto relations between the two countries.” It also announced that a “personal meeting” would take place, followed by a joint dinner hosted by the Netanyahu couple. The language fits neatly with the authoritarian trajectory Netanyahu has taken in recent years, one in which no distinction exists between him and the state. The State of Israel is him – and without him, there is nothing.
Prime minister Modi sought to address the Knesset, despite the fact that it no longer functions as a democratic institution but rather as a rubber stamp for Netanyahu. Opposition parties announced in advance that they would boycott the event after the speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana – widely regarded as Netanyahu’s puppet – violated protocol by refusing to invite the president of the Supreme Court, whom the government has been boycotting while conducting an incitement campaign against him.
To prevent the plenary hall from appearing empty, Speaker Ohana invited former members of Knesset to fill the opposition benches. Among them was Oren Hazan, who was exposed by the Israeli media as having run a casino in Bulgaria that also provided escort services, while he was using hard drugs, and who later confessed in a plea deal to assaulting a mayor after his mother’s bank account was frozen. He was joined by Pnina Rosenblum, a cosmetics businesswoman who occasionally records and releases war-themed songs drenched in heavy Auto-Tune – this time, at least, she limited herself to a selfie with Modi and did not break into song.
https://youtu.be/eZ8xhuvv7js?si=ttFg-DHn_vj508by
It is very uncertain how soft power would play a role in the future -- even western alliance (based or shared race and "cultural values") is not relevant anymore as seen by repeated quarrels between Trump and EU. So to get hard stuffs (weapons, trade deals), countries will have to take a side in multi-polar world. India's best hope until now was not becoming anyone's ally while trying to profit from all - but for how long?
"Pakistan UN ambassador condemns killing of citizen in UAE
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has been speaking at the Security Council meeting, decrying Iran’s strikes as “blatant violations of the sovereignty of the brotherly Gulf States”.
He also condemned the killing of a Pakistani national in the UAE. Authorities have said the individual was killed by falling debris in connection with a missile strike."
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this is the fate of Pakistan, when it is on the payroll of Saudis and Emiratis
Zen: “ this is the fate of Pakistan, when it is on the payroll of Saudis and Emiratis“
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed also condemned the US-Israel joint attack on Iran. He said, “Pakistan condemns the initiation of unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in violation of international law”.
The ambassador reminded the Council that “the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter are inviolable and sacrosanct,” stressing that the Charter “prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1976902/pakistan-maintains-delicate-balancing-act-in-unsc-meeting-on-iran
Riaz sb.,
1: The heading of this topic is wrong, it is not the axis that is a threat to peace in South Asia but the existence of India that is a threat to peace in S. Asia. Peace will remain a pipe dream as long as it exists, it will keep meddling in the internal affairs of the neighbors, picking fights and will keep promoting terrorism in the neighborhood.
2: Please stop making a villain out of Modi. He has done more for Pakistan than ISI could have done in a 100 years. As they say never interrupt an enemy who is on his way to commit suicide. I only feel sorry for Indian Muslims and other minorities (not to mention lower caste).
3: Never understood the obsession our eastern neighbors have with Balochistan.
G. Ali
G Ali,
- "...picking fights and will keep promoting terrorism in the neighborhood."
Of course, it was never Pakistan that started the Indo-Pak wars, it wasn't Pakistan that hosted OBL in Abottabad, and it wasn't Pakistan that created the LeT, JeM etc etc.. C'mon, at the very least we can agree that two can play this game.
- "Never understood the obsession our eastern neighbors have with Balochistan."
Somebody mentioned Kashmir here, so someone else mentioned Balochistan. That's fair enough, I guess.
In any case, the mess that Pakistan is dealing with on its western border is clearly of its own making.
Regards. :)
"When X briefly made users’ countries of origin public, several prominent pro-Israel accounts were found to be run from India. It was an unfortunate testament to the success of Hindutva forces in cultivating Islamophobia by presenting Palestine as supposedly anti-Hindu. "
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source: france24
Riaz Sb,
- "1. Balochistan is recognized by the world as an integral part of Pakistan while Kashmir is not recognized as part of India."
That wouldn't make "enforced disappearances" of Baloch activists and protestors any more acceptable than those of Kashmiris, does it?
- "2. Indian occupied Kashmir has 700,000 Indian troops, making it the world’s most militarized region."
Keeping in mind the history of Indo-Pak wars, India needs to be ready if Pakistan makes a repeat of the 1965 attempt to take Kashmir by force. Or another Kargil-type military adventure.
- "3. There’s no evidence of mass graves in Balochistan but several mass graves have been found in Indian Occupied Kashmir."
Give Pakistani media outlets the freedom to investigate, and probably the remains of many of the missing Baloch just might show up in mass graves too.
Not saying that there is a flowering of Indian media freedom under Modi, but as for the chokehold that Pakistan's establishment has on the country's media outlets, read this:
"Imran Khan not the only one silenced as Pakistan military stifles dissent"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy82yp8xnno
"Pakistan has done pretty much the same or more in Balochistan with the "enforced disappearances" of Baloch protesters and activists, and China has done far worse to Uighurs (if you go by the UNHCR report). "
If that is true that means the UNHCR has been compromised. These Uighurs genocide myth has been debunked by numerous people who have looked into the situation. Here is one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH-0l_zToN4
Here is someone working in Xinjiang. He speaks Uighur and has Uighur friends. He sure doesn't see anything that even remotely suggests that there is genocide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WP0KSW6CR8
Mantou,
- "If that is true that means the UNHCR has been compromised."
Yeah right. Don't believe a thing that UNHCR says about Kashmir too because they are "compromised". :)
- "These Uighurs genocide myth has been debunked by numerous people who have looked into the situation. Here is one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH-0l_zToN4"
For one, that channel is run by a person vlogging from China and Hongkong. Secondly, there are plenty of fringe Western vloggers, journalists and self-styled intellectuals under the payroll of China and Russia. Max Blumenthal highlighted in that video is one such. They have zero credibility in the mainstream.
- "Here is someone working in Xinjiang. He speaks Uighur and has Uighur friends. He sure doesn't see anything that even remotely suggests that there is genocide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WP0KSW6CR8"
That video is currently private. But I'm pretty sure even Pakistanis would agree that it wouldn't be that hard for Indian govt to find Kashmiri collaborators or paid actors to say good words about Indian rule in Kashmir. That wouldn't mean anything, would it?
@Vineeth
"For one, that channel is run by a person vlogging from China and Hongkong."
Why is this a negative?! This means he has firsthand experience rather than getting the information from third parties. You can see from his channel that he went his way to investigate the issue and found nothing to substantiate the allegations. This makes him more credible than people who have never been there.
"Secondly, there are plenty of fringe Western vloggers, journalists and self-styled intellectuals under the payroll of China and Russia. Max Blumenthal highlighted in that video is one such."
Yeah right. If they say things you don't like, then they must be on the payroll. How convenient.
"They have zero credibility in the mainstream."
Goes both ways. Mainstream media has zero credibility. How many times has mainstream media been caught lying?
"Here is someone working in Xinjiang. He speaks Uighur and has Uighur friends. He sure doesn't see anything that even remotely suggests that there is genocide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WP0KSW6CR8
That video is currently private.
I don't know why that video was made private. But here is another one from the same guy. In this one, he is talking to a local Uyghur. You can also tell whether someone is being paid or just being themselves. His channel is about his life in various places. Hardly comes across as propaganda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy0GHX_Ca8I
Here is a local Uyghur debunking the allegations; this is straight from the horse's mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ulhef6xhk
"But I'm pretty sure even Pakistanis would agree that it wouldn't be that hard for the Indian govt to find Kashmiri collaborators or paid actors to say good words about Indian rule in Kashmir. That wouldn't mean anything, would it?"
I would love to see Westerners living in Kashmir defending India's action in Kashmir. I haven't seen one. What India did in Kashmir is well-documented and despicable.
Mantou,
- "Why is this a negative?! This means he has firsthand experience rather than getting the information from third parties."
You can't criticize Chinese govt policies while living and vlogging in China. Simple as that. Secondly, that guy may have "firsthand experience" about Hongkong and Shanghai, but I doubt he has any of Xinjiang.
- "Yeah right. If they say things you don't like, then they must be on the payroll. How convenient."
Just Google "Max Blumenthal" and "The Grayzone" and you will see.
- "How many times has mainstream media been caught lying?"
Far less than govt propaganda outlets I think.
- "His channel is about his life in various places. Hardly comes across as propaganda.. Here is a local Uyghur debunking the allegations; this is straight from the horse's mouth.."
Do you seriously believe it is that hard to stage these? And that too in China where there is zero media freedom to question the authorities and their narratives?
- "I would love to see Westerners living in Kashmir defending India's action in Kashmir. I haven't seen one."
I don't think there are any westerners "living" in Kashmir. However there may be many western tourists who visit the place. But they aren't there to talk politics.
- "What India did in Kashmir is well-documented and despicable."
As I said, even at its worst its nothing compared to what the UNHCR report detailed about Chinese government's treatment of Uighurs. You may choose to believe the narratives peddled by Chinese authorities and their paid propagandists, but I will stick with the UNHCR report.
"You can't criticize Chinese govt policies while living and vlogging in China. Simple as that. Secondly, that guy may have "firsthand experience" about Hongkong and Shanghai, but I doubt he has any of Xinjiang."
He has been to Xinjiang multiple times. Check out the other videos on his channel.
Even assuming what you said is true, that they can't criticize Chinese government policies while living there, there are many Western tourists went to Xinjiang and documented what they saw. These Western tourists do not live in China. Here is one example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMIpG6hlHkU
The guy traveled to an unknown town in Xinjiang, far from any tourist attraction, and interacted with the local Uighurs. He has a good time drinking and eating barbecue food with the local Uighurs and some Han tourists. You can tell from the body language that they are having a good time enjoying each other's company. If Uighurs are oppressed, as you suggested, they won't behave like that. At least they won't even sit down with the Han people, let alone sing with them.
Here is another Western couple who visit Xinjiang. They don't live there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8--iEWYO_SI
Here is an American woman married to a Uyghur and living in a rural town far away from Xinjiang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTODD3FhBXc
Here is a guy documenting what he saw and ran into some random Uyghur people. He said Uyghur people are everywhere in China, and you can ask them whether they are oppressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkVCtWcwN9s
In fact, Uyghurs are everywhere in China. Here is a channel that has nothing to do with politics. It is purely about business. It turns out that the Global Sales Director of this factory, located in a coastal province in China, far from Xinjiang, is a Uyghur. At 1:31 of the video, the two people on the right are Uyghurs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDdj3QM9Sbc
These are just some anecdotal examples showing Uyghurs are living normal lives.
"Just Google "Max Blumenthal" and "The Grayzone" and you will see."
What you are saying is just dismiss any opinion that you don't agree with. This is called confirmation bias.
"How many times has mainstream media been caught lying?"
Far less than govt propaganda outlets I think.
The mainstream media is basically regurgitating what the government propaganda fed them. They are two sides of the same coin.
"I don't think there are any westerners "living" in Kashmir. However there may be many western tourists who visit the place. But they aren't there to talk politics."
Nobody wants to live in India in general, and nobody likes to live in Kashmir because nobody likes to live in an oppressive place. India has many times killed hundreds of Kashmiri protesters. People have disappeared for years, only to turn up in mass graves. These are well-documented.
"As I said, even at its worst its nothing compared to what the UNHCR report detailed about Chinese government's treatment of Uighurs. You may choose to believe the narratives peddled by Chinese authorities and their paid propagandists, but I will stick with the UNHCR report."
The welfare of Uighurs is the least of your concern. I can tell you that even the pets of a Uyghur person live a more dignified life than an average Indian.
Vineeth,
"it was never Pakistan that started the Indo-Pak ..."
What about Hyderabad, Goa and Sikkum?
"Somebody mentioned Kashmir here, so someone else mentioned Balochistan"
Kashmir is an internationally disputed territory. Balochistan is not.
"In any case, the mess that Pakistan is dealing with on its western border is clearly of its own making.".
So when something goes wrong in India it is Pakistan's fault when something goes wrong in Pakistan it is Pakistan's fault?
Every Indian analyst who shows up on Pakistani media use the same logic. it is like talking to a five year old, never taking responsibility but always blaming others.
"that wouldn't make "enforced disappearances" of Baloch activists and protestors any more acceptable than those of Kashmiris, does it?"
Agreed, but in Pakistan the atteocities committed against Baloch is openly discussed, may be not in mainstream media but by popular podcasts and on social media.
Does anyone in India even comment on the atrocities committed by the army?
Also, the mass graves in Kashmir were discovered by a Human rights organization not the media.
As far as Indian media freedom is concerned:
https://share.google/DbzfJRbsQQaKUq9VJ
... and before you blame Godi media just remember that in 2023 india ranked at 140, nothing to be proud of.
"Keeping in mind the history of Indo-Pak wars, India needs to be ready if Pakistan makes...".
If that were the case Indian army would have been on border not on every nook and corner of Srinagar (1.12 lakh vs. 2.31 lakh in the valley). I know that instead of accepting fact you will come up with some other kakamimi excuse.
G. Ali.
Vineeth, one more thing.
"Pakistan that hosted OBL in Abottabad..".
Yes he was "hiding" in Abotabad. But when I google "Butcher Of Gurjat" guess whose name comes up, the guy who has been "elected" to highest office thrice in your country.
Amazing that you have the odacity to bring OBL in the discussion. As they say "those who live in glass houses..."
G. Ali
Indeed, India faces significant risks from global instability as it strives to become a prosperous, advanced economy. While its leaders often project confidence through "strategic autonomy," the reality of a "world in chaos" threatens India's growth trajectory, energy security, and regional stability.
The Economist
The Economist
+2
1. Economic Vulnerabilities and Trade Barriers
Energy Security: As a massive crude importer, India is acutely sensitive to oil price spikes triggered by conflicts in the Middle East, particularly those involving Iran.
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz could push oil prices to $108 per barrel, widening the current account deficit.
Reliance on discounted Russian oil became unsustainable in 2025 after the U.S. imposed punitive 50% tariffs on associated Indian products.
Trade Disruptions: Global fragmentation and "America First" policies have led to severe tariff shocks.
In 2025, U.S. tariffs of 50% put $87 billion in annual trade at risk for India.
Sectors like electronics (-12%), gems and jewelry (-15.3%), and steel (-18%) face significant export revenue declines due to these barriers.
Financial Volatility: Trade tensions and conflicts triggered negative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outflows for three consecutive months in late 2025.
The Indian Rupee hit a historic low of ₹88.78 per US dollar in 2025, raising the cost of debt-servicing and imports.
2. Geopolitical and Regional Risks
"Nervous Neighborhood": Instability in neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar creates border security issues and refugee pressures.
The "China-Russia-Iran" Nexus: If global chaos deepens Russia's dependency on China, it weakens India's long-standing defense partnership with Moscow while strengthening its primary rival, Beijing.
Remittance Threats: Conflicts in West Asia threaten the livelihoods of the Indian diaspora; the Gulf region provides a large share of India's record $135 billion in annual remittances.
The Economist
The Economist
+4
3. Market Resilience Amid Chaos
Despite these headwinds, India's domestic fundamentals remain a buffer against total derailment.
Forex Reserves: India maintains record foreign exchange reserves (over $725 billion as of early 2026), capable of covering current account deficits for an extended period.
Growth Outlook: While global growth slows, India's GDP growth for FY2025–26 is still forecasted at 6.5% by S&P Global, driven by domestic demand and services.
AKIpress News Agency
Addressed Conference at top think tank, Institute of Regional Studies: ‘Akhand Bharat (Greater India) & Eretz Israel (Greater Israel) are two sides of same coin representing bigoted ideology of Hindutva & Zionism, seeking expansionism with racist & fascist mindset’!
While diplomatic and economic ties between India and Israel are strong, Indian nationals, expatriates, and Indian-origin Jews have faced targeted harassment, social prejudice, and racially motivated violence in the country.The primary contexts in which Indians face discrimination in Israel include:1. Physical Violence and Targeted AttacksFollowing a spike in the number of Indian workers in Israel's construction sector (which surged after work permits for Palestinian laborers were suspended), there have been reports of targeted violence. For instance, Israeli media broadcaster KAN released video footage of a premeditated, racially motivated assault by groups ambushing Indian construction workers in public parks in cities like Ashkelon.2. Discrimination Against Indian JewsIndian-origin Jewish communities, particularly the Bene Israel and the Bnei Menashe, have historically experienced racial and religious prejudice. Members of the Bnei Menashe have faced discrimination due to a lack of awareness among the broader Israeli public, as well as bureaucratic friction with the Chief Rabbinate regarding their Jewish status and marriage rights. Similarly, the Bene Israel faced initial residential and social discrimination upon migrating, partly due to having darker skin tones.3. Xenophobia and Everyday RacismIndian tourists, vloggers, and foreign workers have reported instances of everyday xenophobia. Documented incidents include being subjected to racist slurs, being told to "go back to your country," and being denied entry into certain nightclubs or bars under the presumption that they are low-wage foreign laborers.4. Broader Treatment of Foreign NationalsHuman rights organizations frequently highlight broader systemic issues that affect all non-Jewish foreign workers in Israel. These issues often include:Wage theft and substandard living conditions.Social isolation and lack of integration.Exclusion from municipal bomb shelters during times of conflict.While formal institutional racism against Indians is not a matter of state policy, the rise in the Indian expatriate population has brought localized xenophobia and racial profiling to the forefront.
Social media platforms spread hate music in India despite policy violations, new report says | PBS News
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/social-media-platforms-spread-hate-music-in-india-despite-policy-violations-new-report-says
Yogi Adityanath's face fills the screen before a single lyric is sung. The Hindu monk-turned-politician, who governs India's most populous state, is pictured as dramatic music swells beneath images of cows, saffron flags and Hindu nationalist iconography. Then comes the threat.
In "Gau Mata" ("Mother Cow") posted on YouTube, singer Biru Kataria warns India's Muslims that anyone who slaughters a cow will be hunted down, burned alive and cut to pieces. The song repeatedly uses the slur "katwein," a derogatory reference to circumcision, to describe Muslims.
Adityanath is among the most recognizable faces of India's Hindu nationalist movement. He has championed aggressive cow-protection policies as cow vigilantism, where mobs attack people they accuse of slaughtering cows, considered sacred by Hindus, has been linked to the killings and lynchings of dozens of Muslims. Today, multiple versions of this track remain available on YouTube, and it has been used to create more than 40,000 Instagram reels.
In India, music engineered to dehumanize religious minorities reaches hundreds of millions of listeners, delivered by big tech companies across popular social media platforms. Known as Hindutva pop, or H-Pop, the genre is rooted in Hindu nationalist ideology, a far-right supremacist belief that India is fundamentally a Hindu nation whose culture, politics and public life should be defined by its Hindu majority. Across hundreds of songs, India's Muslims and Christians are portrayed as enemies, invaders, traitors, demographic threats and legitimate targets of violence.
A new report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), a Washington-based research organization, argues that this ecosystem of hate music is being hosted, amplified and monetized by four of the world's largest digital platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Meta.
The report, "Profiting From Hate Music," documents what researchers describe as the first comprehensive mapping of hate music across India's digital landscape. It identifies 523 songs that promote hatred, dehumanization, conspiracy theories or violence against religious minorities, primarily Muslims and Christians, in violation of platforms' content policies.
To test how and whether platforms were enforcing their rules on hateful or violent content, researchers reported a sample of 225 songs using the companies' own moderation systems. Only 18 were removed. More than 90% percent of flagged songs stayed online.
"Even after reporting the content, most of it is still up after six or seven months, and it's not only up, it's still running advertisements," said Tavishi Ahluwalia, a researcher specializing in digital harms and extremism who worked with CSOH on the report.
Nearly half of the songs analyzed by researchers contained direct threats of violence or explicit incitement against religious minorities, a large number of them (104) hosted by YouTube.
https://www.csohate.org/2026/06/15/profiting-from-hate-music/
Zhuo Chen | Katrina
@SouthernM46171
The FT report reveals how deeply India and Israel are now connected. This relationship goes far beyond arms sales or personal chemistry between Modi and Netanyahu. It reaches into political leadership, military institutions and intelligence networks.
1）Modi and Netanyahu maintain frequent direct contact, creating a channel that can bypass normal diplomacy. Israeli officers also reportedly visit Indian Army headquarters regularly; even during the current conflict, more than twenty were said to have travelled there.
2）Mossad and India’s external intelligence service have cooperated for years on Islamist militant networks. The detention of eight former Indian naval officers in Qatar also raised allegations of sensitive intelligence work linked to Israel in a third country.
India calls itself the voice of the Global South and a “Vishwaguru,” yet it is closely aligned with a state condemned across much of the Global South. India can continue saying one thing and doing another, but the contradiction is now visible. Sooner or later, it will pay a diplomatic price.
https://x.com/SouthernM46171/status/2068355395845013948?s=20
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Netanyahu and Modi: the making of an unlikely alliance
As Israel’s isolation deepens, ties with New Delhi are growing — from drones to statues
https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
When Hamas militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people, the first call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came not from Washington or Europe, but New Delhi.
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, used the conversation, confirmed by two people with knowledge of the exchange, to express his support for Israel. “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel,” he posted on X afterwards. “We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.”
Modi’s gesture epitomised the strong bond that has developed between him and Netanyahu over the past 12 years, rooted in what both men cast as their shared fight against terrorism, as well as their visions of their nations as homelands for their religious majorities.
Critics argue that the two leaders also share authoritarian traits. Both have fostered an environment, they say, in which hostility to Muslim and Christian minorities has intensified, the power of independent institutions has been eroded and the activities of foreign NGOs restricted.
The flourishing relationship spans intelligence sharing, surveillance, billions of dollars of arms sales, joint weapons development, trade, agricultural technology and cultural ties.
Diplomats say Modi and Netanyahu speak regularly on the phone and understand each other well. Modi was the last world leader to visit Israel before Netanyahu attacked Iran with the US on February 28. After Israel bombed Tehran, Modi spoke to the Israeli leader and called for “an early restoration of peace” but did not criticise the strikes.
“In a world that was going towards universalism and post-national institutions,” says Reuven Azar, Israel’s ambassador to India, Modi and Netanyahu “were different . . . not just embracing nationalism but embracing identity”.
The closeness in ties between Netanyahu and Modi contrasts with Israel’s increasing isolation on the world stage, including among some of its closest western allies, amid outrage over its devastating offensive in Gaza, which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave, and its conduct in the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu is now persona non grata in many European countries due to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him on charges of war crimes. Even Donald Trump has become increasingly critical of the Israeli prime minister, whose offensive in Lebanon appeared to endanger the US president’s push for a deal with Iran.
Netanyahu and Modi: the making of an unlikely alliance
As Israel’s isolation deepens, ties with New Delhi are growing — from drones to statues
https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
The view in New Delhi is different.
“Mr Modi and his followers . . . believe that Israel is standing up to an evil force in the world, which is radical Islam and we all need to also fight radical Islam,” says Professor Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs in Sonipat. “There’s an ideological affinity.”
Once a leading light in the Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations, which resisted cold war superpower alliances, embraced the Palestinian cause and criticised Israel, India now leans much more closely towards the Jewish state.
Jonathan Spyer of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, a think-tank, says that at a time of mounting international pressure, particularly in western Europe, for Israel “to have a massive trading partner in Asia, with which it also shares a geopolitical or even maybe ideological world view, is a major asset”.
Israel’s closeness to India is also viewed in the Middle East as part of a deepening alignment between both countries and the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is doubling down on its relations with Israel and India, while Saudi Arabia has become more closely aligned with Pakistan, signing a defence pact with Islamabad last year.
A senior Indian official dismisses criticism of the ties with Netanyahu’s government as partisan, maintaining that New Delhi’s position on the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine “has not changed”.
But others in India question whether Modi’s administration is drawing too close to Israel, risking its traditional position as a moral leader in the global south and its policy of maintaining alliances with multiple partners.
India initially opposed the creation of Israel. Scarred by the August 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s diplomats voted against the division of Palestine at the UN three months later and at first opposed Israel’s admission to the world body.
It was not until 1992 that New Delhi fully recognised Israel. Another turning point came in 1999 during the Kargil war, when India was struggling to fight off a Pakistani incursion along the de facto border between the two states in the mountainous region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Israel stepped in, providing mortars and laser-guided missiles at a time when India faced arms restrictions from western powers because of a 1998 nuclear weapons test, according to accounts that have surfaced since.
When Modi was first elected in 2014 he found in Netanyahu an ideological soulmate who, like him, believed that the correct response to militant attacks was not to negotiate but to crack down.
In 2017, Modi made a bold political gesture by becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, where he held an emotional meeting with Moshe Holtzberg, an Israeli boy whose parents were killed when Islamist militants attacked Mumbai. Netanyahu reciprocated with a state visit to India the following year.
Azar, the Israeli ambassador, says the visits were pivotal. “The relationship became more public, more legitimate . . . there was finally an acknowledgment of the things that we have together.”
Almost a decade later, India is firmly established as a top buyer of Israeli arms and a key partner in developing and manufacturing new weapons.
“Israel often ends up offering these technologies,” says Kabir Taneja, head of the Middle East arm of the Indian think-tank Observer Research Foundation, who adds that the equipment comes without the conditions imposed by other arms exporters. “From an Indian perspective, it’s like going to a very, very well-stocked Walmart for armaments.”
Netanyahu and Modi: the making of an unlikely alliance
As Israel’s isolation deepens, ties with New Delhi are growing — from drones to statues
https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
The Barak anti-missile system widely used by Israel’s armed forces is manufactured by several companies including Rafael and IAI of Israel and Bharat Dynamics and a subsidiary of Bharat Forge in India. Israel’s Mossad spy agency co-operates with India’s foreign intelligence service in the hunt for Islamist militants.
Gautam Adani, India’s wealthiest man, has companies working with Israel’s Elbit to develop and manufacture Hermes reconnaissance drones, and with Israel Weapons Industries to make small arms in India. Adani Ports also spent $1.2bn on a 70 per cent stake in Haifa port, Israel’s largest.
Indian companies are now starting to manufacture Israeli-designed killer drones such as the Harop, according to people with knowledge of the industry.
“We have a strong collaboration with Israel in the areas of innovation, defence, security, sustainability, start-up, innovation,” says the senior Indian government official. “Those are key areas.”
Israeli military officers are frequent visitors at India’s army headquarters, with up to two dozen going there even during the current war with Iran, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
“Defence is what truly leads this relationship with Israel,” adds Taneja at the Observer Research Foundation. “Defence is absolutely the critical driver.”
But the collaboration goes much further. Israeli negotiators are working on a free trade deal with India, while young Israelis often head to the beaches of Goa or Indian yoga retreats after military service. Israeli scientists train their Indian counterparts on how to manage water supplies in arid areas. Tens of thousands of Indians now work and study in Israel.
There are other cultural bonds too. Hindu nationalist scholars from Modi’s power base are due to visit Israel this month to meet officials and academics to learn about Zionism, according to two people familiar with the plans.
Both India and Israel point to the fact that the subcontinent has traditionally welcomed Jews and that they share a past as victims of conquest and colonisation.
“The Indian subcontinent, the Jewish people, they’re ancient nations,” says Azar, adding that both were “subject to millennia of invasions by foreign powers that plundered the country”.
India has also taken surprising risks on behalf of Israel.
In August 2022, Qatar arrested eight former Indian naval officers and later sentenced them to death. Neither country gave details of the case but a person briefed on the matter told the FT at the time that the eight were engaged in spying for Israel on Qatar’s submarine programme. The officers were released after a state-owned Indian company signed a 20-year agreement to buy large volumes of Qatari liquefied natural gas.
The idea of India and Israel as nations engaged in a mortal battle with terrorism has also been reflected in popular culture.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the second highest-grossing Bollywood hit of all time, released in March, offers viewers a gory nearly four-hour epic of slaughter in which an undercover Indian commando infiltrates and then destroys a Pakistani jihadi network.
The plot has parallels with a popular Israeli TV drama, Fauda, which features an undercover Israeli unit hunting down a wanted Hamas militant.
Dhurandhar has been shown in Israel and the country’s embassy in New Delhi invited diplomats this year for a discussion with the film’s lead researcher, according to one invitee. During his February visit to Israel, Modi met actors from Fauda and Israel’s consul-general in Mumbai, Yaniv Revach, is planning to bring key figures from the drama to India before the fifth series airs on Netflix India.
Netanyahu and Modi: the making of an unlikely alliance
As Israel’s isolation deepens, ties with New Delhi are growing — from drones to statues
https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
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https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
Modi “wanted something that would connect the people of Israel to the people of India for many many years and not just one specific event”, Revach says. “So the first idea that I had is to bring the team of Fauda to India . . . We wanted to connect Fauda with Dhurandhar.”
The consul is working on another project to make Indian culture still more visible to Israelis. A bronze statue of Shivaji, a Hindu warrior king revered by nationalists for his fight against Mughal invaders, has been commissioned by Israel and will be placed later this year in a major Israeli city.
Modi’s closeness to Israel has unsettled India’s foreign policy establishment. They are alarmed by his government’s downplaying of the Palestinian cause, its lack of criticism of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and how New Delhi has played down its relationship with regional partners such as Iran.
Nirupama Rao, formerly the top civil servant in India’s foreign ministry, says Modi’s proximity to Israel “risks creating the impression that India has diluted its long-held position” on Palestinian rights.
“I believe that perception does matter, not only in the Arab world but also in the global south,” she says.
Sonia Gandhi, the parliamentary chair of India’s main opposition Congress Party, described India’s reticence on the Gaza war as “an abdication of both humanity and morality” last year, adding that it was driven by the personal friendship between the two men rather than India’s strategic interests.
The senior government official rejected that characterisation, saying that India’s support for Palestine remained solid and that the country was continuing humanitarian assistance for Palestinians both bilaterally and through the UN.
More recently, Congress has accused Modi of “moral cowardice” for not condemning Israel’s strikes on Iran and said his visit to Jerusalem just beforehand created “the perception of a political endorsement of military escalation, which is deeply antithetical to India’s historic commitment to a rules-based international order”.
India had traditionally kept an open channel to Iran, a fellow Brics bloc member, valuing its oil supplies, its strategic location bordering Pakistan and the access it affords to Afghanistan and central Asia.
Yet when an Israeli attack killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the end of February, there was silence from New Delhi. Four days passed before the top civil servant in India’s foreign ministry signed a condolence book in the Iranian embassy. The ministry said that the condolence book was not made available earlier.
Flanked by photos of the late Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba, the supreme leader’s emissary to India denies having a problem with India’s relations with Israel but hints they may come at a cost.
“We never said to Emirates, or to Bahrain or Qatar: ‘Why do you have relations with America?’” Abdul Majid Hakim Ilahi tells the FT. “But we said to them: ‘Please don’t let their bases on your land be used against us.’ Otherwise, we’d have to defend ourselves. And defending ourselves means that we have to attack these places.”
Modi’s current term as prime minister still has more than two years to run and his Bharatiya Janata Party enjoys a level of political dominance not seen in India since Indira Gandhi’s heyday in the late 1970s.
Netanyahu and Modi: the making of an unlikely alliance
As Israel’s isolation deepens, ties with New Delhi are growing — from drones to statues
https://www.ft.com/content/5829cf25-42c0-4aa4-84d7-9142ab66d6d4?syn-25a6b1a6=1
With India fixated on Pakistan as its arch-enemy after the brief conflict between the two nuclear-armed states last year, the defence and intelligence partnership with Israel is becoming more important than ever. Analysts believe it will endure beyond the premierships of Modi and Netanyahu, whose far-right bloc is trailing rivals ahead of elections this year.
“The high-tech, defence and agricultural collaboration has taken off . . . I don’t think India will stop this,” says Rotem Geva, chair of the Department of Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Another Indian government might be more emphatic in its criticism of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians and in calling for an end to the occupation . . . But I don’t see a dramatic shift occurring.”
For Israel, India represents a steadfast ally in an increasingly critical world. Neither India’s government nor its Muslim minority has been anything like as vocal over Israel’s offensive in Gaza — which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, and reduced most of the enclave to rubble — as their counterparts in Europe.
“Israel is probably today the most trusted partner as far as India is concerned in terms of strategic partnerships,” says Happymon Jacob, director of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, a New Delhi-based think-tank.
He adds that “even the Russians . . . may be ambivalent about their support for India” given the Kremlin’s ties to China, India’s big regional rival, and also cites Trump’s increasingly strained personal relationship with Modi.
“Therefore, you are probably looking at Israel as the country that comes without any strings attached, even when it comes to intelligence sharing, when it comes to weapon systems.”
Azar, the Israeli ambassador, notes parallels in the evolution of India and Israel as independent nations from 1947 and 1948.
“We both started as states that are secular and socialist,” he says. “And we became more conservative and more capitalist” and “to a certain extent” more religious. That, he says, makes the two countries “natural partners” in a sometimes hostile world.
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