Israel has faced global condemnation for its actions in occupied East Jerusalem and continued bombing of the Gaza Strip, but it has found support in India where pro-government activists have thrown their weight behind Israel, with some defending its policy against Palestinians.
Hashtags such as #ISupportIsrael, #IndiaWithIsrael, #IndiaStandsWithIsrael and #IsrealUnderFire have trended on Indian social media over the past week, many calling Palestinians “terrorists” – a term used by Israel for Palestinian resistance groups. On Saturday night, #PalestineTerrorists was one of the top trends on Twitter in the South Asian nation.
At least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded in one week of intense Israeli air attacks in besieged Gaza – home to 2 million people. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least 19 Palestinians protesting against the forced expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes.
Support for Israel has been amplified on social media, particularly Twitter and Instagram, by top members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lawyers and journalists among others.
On May 12, BJP Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya, known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, wrote on twitter: “We are with you. Stay strong, Israel.”
His tweet, in response to a post by Israel’s foreign ministry, was liked nearly 50,000 times and retweeted nearly 13,000 times.
‘Visceral hatred for Muslims’
BJP spokesman from the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, Gaurav Goel, has been regularly tweeting in support of Israel. On Friday he tweeted a picture of Israeli forces, writing: “Dear Israelis, you are not alone, we Indians stand strongly with you.” It was liked 3,600 times.
Hardik Bhavsar, a Twitter user followed by 134,000 people including Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah, on Saturday shared a video of a high-rise tower that hosted media offices, including Al Jazeera and Associated Press, destroyed in Israeli bombardment.
“Happy Dipawali liberals. #IndiaStandWithIsrael,” he tweeted mocking liberal Indians who oppose Israeli militarism, referring to Dipawali, the Hindu festival of lights. It was liked nearly 3,000 times.
I reiterate India’s strong support to the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution.
Indian journalist and writer Rana Ayyub on Sunday wrote that while checking most of the #IndiaStandWithIsrael tweet handles, a common thread that runs through is a “visceral hatred for Muslims and a bloodlust to see Muslims massacred and shown their place”.
“Most handles [are] followed by one or more BJP minister[s] or the PM himself,” she added.
At least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded in one week of intense Israeli air attacks in besieged Gaza [File: Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
Srinivas Kodali, a writer and researcher working on data, governance and internet, told Al Jazeera there is a section of polarised Hindutva (Hindu-ness) groups who support Israel’s actions against Palestine purely because Muslims are being persecuted.
“It is their hate towards Muslims that is making them cheer Israel’s actions,” he said.
Betrayal of India’s freedom struggle
Githa Hariharan, author of several books, including In Times of Siege and The Thousand Faces Of Night, told Al Jazeera that this kind of support for Israel has been building up over time with a common world view and agenda of both Zionism and Hindutva – the Hindu first.
“While the relations with Israel opened up before the BJP came to power, but it has become closer since then. Brand Israel seems to suit the powers that be in India at the moment,” said Hariharan, who is associated with the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) – a grassroots movement calling for a boycott of Israeli goods, divestment from Israeli firms operating in occupied territories and imposition of sanctions in order to pressure Israel to stop human rights abuses against Palestinians.
Hariharan sees it as a betrayal of how India’s freedom fighters of the past envisioned India would take its place in the world, maintaining an anti-colonial stance.
“India has somehow got into this matrix of Israel and the United States. There is a problem with the foreign policy. You cannot have a post-colonial country with a history of a freedom struggle like ours creating a foreign policy which actually works with occupiers, those who broke international law, those who commit crimes against humanity,” she said. Al Jazeera
