Thursday, July 24, 2014

India supports Palestine at BRICS summit and UN, opinion poll shows Indians too stand against Israel: 75% Indians support Palestine, just 15% for Israel

Of late, we often hear that the public opinion in India is shifting and is now inclined towards Israel.

You don't need to rake your brains to think about those who are behind this new found knowledge about Indian masses & public opinion.

On Monday, a journalist tweeted that within three decades, India has become one of the most pro-Israel nations.

There was nothing to substantiate this insight though. He didn't reveal what made him believe that Indians were no longer pro-Palestine.

Right-wing folks have been trumpeting their admiration for Israel. In India, the unique thing is that the same group also eulogizes Hitler.

Clearly, any state that commits mass murders, brutality and genocide is their ideal, with no moral issues for them. The vocal right-wing supporters can keep claiming that Indians are turning pro-Israel, because propaganda works to an extent.

The BJP victory or the Congress loss doesn't mean that Indian have become pro-Israel or anti-Palestine.

In fact, for a large number of Indians, it may not be an issue to align with one side. For them, it will be of siding with humanity. If any ordinary person sees the images of innocents killed in Gaza, he or she would naturally support the victim. 

Just seven decades ago, we won our independence from an imperial power that also used brutality as a state weapon against the subjects.

However, the propagandists know that if they keep repeating lies, half-lies, assumptions and their beliefs, it will have some impact on others too.

But the biggest shock for the Israel-supporter propagandists in India came on Tuesday.

India voted in support of UN resolution on Gaza, calling for investigation against Israel. Suddenly, there was silence among the pro-Israel Twitterati, as they rued and expressed sadness at the Indian stand.

For them, it was almost unbelievable that a BJP government led by Narendra Modi would continue the traditional Indian policy on Palestine. Self-styled ideologues who think they have brought Narendra Modi-led BJP to power, were upset and said that it was unexpected.

After the Indian vote at UNHRC, a journalist Sadanand Dhume, who lives in  USA, also claimed that mood in India was pro-Israel. Other pro-BJP journalists termed Indian vote as 'monumental blunder'. Indian call for implementation of UN resolution, was criticised by them.

MEANWHILE. In Rio, the Prime Minister also signed the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) censure of Israeli offensive in Gaza. What more? Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj says Indian policy towards Palestine remains unchanged.

And if you want to know about public opinion. Check this opinion poll by Hindustan Times on who should India support in the Middle East conflict. While 75% say Indians should be supporting Palestine, just 15% say that the country should stand by Israel. LINK TO THE POLL

This is the situation when it is well-known that right-wing has a disproportionately big presence on the internet. So there is no sign that Indians have turned pro-Israel, en masse. The propagandists can, of course, chant otherwise.