Islamic Solidarity and India’s Foreign Policy: The Palestine Question and India’s Engagement with the Muslim World

Abstract

The Palestine issue has been a major agenda of India's foreign policy since the country gained independence, as it has been intertwined with the ideals of anti-colonialism, strategic interests, and diplomatic relations with the Muslim world. The desire for Palestinian self-determination came from the ideologies of Indian national liberation movement, which included anti-colonialism, anti-racism, and anti-political domination. Therefore, India has always been proactively asserting the rights of Palestine in international fora and was among the first states to recognise the State of Palestine. At the same time, the Palestinian problem took on new significance in the Muslim world and became a symbol of Muslim unity, political unity, and resistance to the occupation. This paper aims at understanding the linkage between Islamic solidarity and India's foreign policy by analysing the Palestine question and India's relations with the countries with Muslim majority population. It examines India's historic support for Palestine, the importance of the Palestinian cause in the context of Islamic solidarity and how the issue has impacted India's diplomatic efforts with the Arab and wider Muslim world. The study also examines the shift in India's policy since 1992, when full diplomatic relations with Israel were established, and gauges how much strategic considerations have affected India's traditional commitment to Palestinian statehood. The paper suggests that the support for Palestine was both anti-colonial and normative, but also that it has been an important way of engaging with Muslim majority countries. India's support for a negotiated two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination remained largely unchanged despite the development of strategic ties with Israel. The Palestine question remains a central feature in Indian relations with the world of Islam and is playing a pivotal role in India's foreign policy at a larger level, the study concludes.