NEW DELHI, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday embarked on a historic visit to Palestine, the first-ever by an Indian head of government.
Experts say Modi's visit, which comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu visited India and more than six months after he visited Israel, clearly shows that New Delhi is firm on its foreign policy with Palestine and the two state solution, despite cosying up to the Jewish state.
"The Israel-Palestinian conflict rages on since a century ago over land claims and has taken millions of lives. However, India has always maintained its support for a two-state solution, i.e. two independent states of Israel and Palestine -- keeping in mind its ideology of non-violence and to promote peace in the region," said Basanta Giri, a foreign policy expert.
"India really has independent views on Palestine based on its historic relations with the Arab world. It has often repeated that its foreign policy will not be determined or influenced by any third party. India stands irrespective of its larger diplomatic relations with Israel and at the same time, its deepening ties with Israel will not affect its historical bond with the Palestinians," he added.
In fact, since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, India has carefully calibrated its outreach program with the Arab world, independent of any opinion by any other country.
And last month, India had also joined 127 other countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution opposing the recent decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
"Over the past 25 years, bilateral trade between India and Israel has increased from 200 million U.S. dollars to more than 4 billion U.S. dollars (excluding defence) in 2016-17. But overall, West Asia has also become an important region for India's commercial, security, energy, and diplomatic interests," said Prof Ajay Singh, formerly of Delhi University.
"India's 2016-2017 trade with Arab countries, at 121 billion U.S. dollars, accounts for 18.25 percent of India's total trade, while its trade with Israel, at 5 billion U.S. dollars, accounts for less than 1 percent of total trade. India has robust commercial, security, and defence ties with Israel, while Arab states are important sources of remittances, employment, and energy," he added.
It is herein that India's outreach program with the Arab world comes in. Since 2014, India has extended an olive branch to many Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria.
"At the same time, given India's emergence on the global stage as a powerful international actor, Indian foreign policy has shifted from normative posturing in favour of pragmatism and self-interest-based action," said Ravi Kant Deval, another foreign affairs expert.
"The changing international landscape following the end of the Cold War, and India's shift from the periphery to the centre of the international system, have been instrumental in this. India's careful and delicate balancing act is nowhere more evident than in the theatre of the volatile West Asia," he said.
Experts say that sustained engagement with the Arab World has been a success story of Indian foreign policy under the Modi government and it has raised partnership to the next level.
"Besides the symbolic significance of the Palestine visit, the prime minister will also extend support towards material and infrastructural build in the country as even in the past it has continuously participated in the Palestinian nation-building and capacity building. So far, India has undertaken projects worth 30 million U.S. dollars in Palestine," said Giri.
A clutch of bilateral pacts are also expected to be signed during Modi's visit. He will also visit the India-Palestine ICT park, which is under construction and expected to create employment for young Palestinians. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Palestine Institute Diplomacy, a centre to train diplomats of Palestine which has been built with India's assistance of 4.5 million U.S. dollars.
"All these are an important symbol of India-Palestine cooperation especially in the area of capacity building. It shows India places its commitments in Palestine. The visit on Saturday will certainly end India's baggage over keeping Israel and Palestine together for the past many decades and de-hyphenating it for the future," said Prof Singh.
