Shameless on Gaza
Prakash Karat
THE Modi government should hang its head in shame – if it has any sense of shame left. Unfolding before the eyes of the world is the horrific and unbearable spectacle of mass starvation in Gaza, of babies and children wasting away due to malnutrition and hunger, and at the doors of death.
The 21-month Israeli war on Gaza has now transformed into genocide by starvation. Yet, the BJP rulers are unmoved. There has been not a single statement of protest or condemnation of Israel’s tactics of starving an entire population. There is no doubt whatsoever about the culpability of Benjamin Netanyahu and his coterie in devising and executing this heinous crime of blockading all food and essential supplies to the Gaza Strip from March 9 onwards. While hungry people scrabble around for any morsel of food, the Israeli army keeps up its relentless and cruel bombardment of Gaza’s civilian population. The farcical setting up of four food centres by the Israeli-US outfit has led to gruesome scenes of starving thousands who turn up at the gates of these centres being mowed down by Israeli troops. The choice for a Gazan is to die of starvation or to die by trying to get some food.
Over the past few weeks, every international agency dealing with humanitarian relief and the United Nations, have been warning of mass starvation and the threat of famine looming over Gaza. Even the western media which has been biased towards Israel, has in the past fortnight began to headline the catastrophic situation unfolding in Gaza. The BBC, CNN and European television networks have been beaming images of skeletal babies and dying children.
Even the closest European allies of Israel who were supporting Israel’s war on Gaza are now speaking up against Israel’s policy of blockading food and essential supplies to Gaza. Earlier, it was Spain, Ireland and Belgium which had come out firmly against the continuing war in Gaza and took steps to distance themselves from Israel’s war efforts. But, after the human catastrophe in Gaza and public opinion veering against Israel, the trio who had been the mainstay of support to Israel - UK, Germany and France – had begun to take some limited steps to distance themselves from Israel’s genocidal war, particularly its total ban on food and humanitarian supplies.
On July 25, France, Germany and UK, held an emergency online meeting of its leaders and called for an immediate resumption of food and essential commodities to Gaza. The statement said, “Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.” France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, became the first Western country to announce the recognition of Palestinian statehood, which would come into effect from September. The Keir Starmer government in Britain has now followed suit by stating that it will also recognise Palestinian statehood in September, unless Israel abides by a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution. The Labour government has been compelled to take such a stand due to overwhelming public pressure and the demand by over 250 MPs to recognise the Palestinian state. With Israel agreeing to allow airdropping of food into Gaza, several European countries – including Spain, Germany and France – have drawn up plans to airdrop food supplies. These are merely token actions since according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), airdrops are the most expensive and inefficient means to deliver aid. They are just a distraction from having a sustainable and permanent supply through land routes, which can only be ensured by a ceasefire.
While the Western countries are being compelled to re-frame their attitude towards Israel’s genocidal war, the contrast with India’s stand is striking. In the past fortnight, when the humanitarian crisis aggravated in Gaza, there was no response from the Modi government. There is not a single statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in criticism or condemnation of Israel’s inhuman blockade. Prime Minister Modi has not called his friend Netanyahu to request him to atleast allow supplies into Gaza unimpeded to save the lives of the people. All that we got are some pro-forma statements in the UN forums. In a discussion last week, India’s permanent representative at the United Nations stated that humanitarian supplies should reach Gaza. In his latest speech on July 29, at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, Ambassador Harish P has reiterated that “Palestinians in Gaza must have access to food, fuel and other basic necessities without hindrance”. But the Modi government has been conspicuous in not taking this matter up with the Israeli government. It should also be recalled that India had refused to vote for a resolution in the General Assembly on June 13, calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
What explains this lack of humanity and moral bankruptcy is the fact that the Modi government is complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza. It has at no time condemned Israel’s aggression since it began on October 7, 2023; it has only pleaded that there should be no indiscriminate civilian casualties. Throughout the period of this war, India has continued to export weaponry and explosives to Israel. Within the country, the BJP and the RSS led Hindutva forces have been portraying Israel’s war on the people of Gaza as a fight against terrorism, more specifically, “Muslim terrorism”. For the Hindutva forces, Israel is the model to emulate. Zionism and Hindutva are ideological soul mates. The Modi government’s pro-Israel stance is reflected at various levels. The corporate owned television channels in English and Hindi have disgracefully blanked out the scenes of suffering and starvation in Gaza, something which is being prominently covered in the Western media.
Even sections of the higher judiciary are displaying the same bias. The Bombay High Court’s judgment upholding the police ban on a peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza was accompanied by observations by the lead judge on the bench, which were shocking and disturbing. The judge said that the petitioner, CPI(M), should be patriotic and take up domestic civic problems and not international issues. He suggested that foreign policy should be left to the central government and there should be no choosing of sides between Israel and Palestine.
It is an unfortunate fact that the pro-Israel and anti-Muslim rhetoric of the Hindutva right wing forces has had its impact among sections of the people. What we are witnessing is a reversal of the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial traditions. This is the biggest betrayal by the Modi government and the Hindutva rulers. The struggle of the Palestinian people and the fight to save Gaza cannot be sacrificed at the altar of these reactionary forces.
