“Trumps Illegitimate Decision to Recognize Jerusalem As Israel’S Capital”

Report on “TRUMPS ILLEGITIMATE DECISION TO RECOGNIZE JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL’S CAPITAL”

Its reaction in India

(7th December to 28th December)

Prepared by IndoPal Foundation, New Delhi [email protected] m

Contents Covered  Muslim Organizations and Individuals Press release and statement  Program Organized by Organizations  Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, JIH  Students Islamic Organisation of India, SIO,  Girls Islamic Organisation of India, GIO,  Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, JUH,  India-Palestine Solidarity Forum,  Muslim Political Council of Indiaand  any other Organization  TV program, Editorials, Twits of Prominent personality, Political and Social leaders  Related Articles

Programs: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind,JIH Program Summary: Friday sermon: 6000 Public Rallies: 500 Group Meetings and Discussions: 1000

Official Press Statement: Jamaat condemns American decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Posted on 07 December 2017

New Delhi, 23 Nov: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns the recent announcement by the American government to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In a statement to the media the Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, T Arif Ali said: ‘’we are deeply concerned and deplore the recent decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and shift the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This would alter the religious and legal status of Jerusalem and is unacceptable. It would be a clear violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions especially UNSCR 478 of 1980. It would destabilize the region, create conflict, offend the religious sensibilities of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims and delay a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” The JIH Vice President averred: ’’The international community has remained a mute spectator to the recent escalation of Judaization of Al Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) including attacks on its

Arab, Muslim and Christian landmarks; and continuous attempts to displace and expel Palestinians living in Jerusalem by all means of harassment, especially in the form of revoking their residency permits, prohibiting them from living in the city and banning them from all forms of construction, including rebuilding and renovating their homes and places of worship. The Israeli occupation authorities have also refused to issue permits to educational, medical and services institutions, all the while continuing to implement policies aiming to change the Arab identity of the Holy city”. “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind calls upon America to refrain from any move that alters the legal-religious status of Jerusalem and expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian cause that requires effort and cooperation on the part of all justice loving people in order to bring to an end to the discriminatory colonial occupation that continues to challenge the entire free world’’. Media Department Jamaat-e-Islami Hind http://jamaateislamihind.org/eng/jamaat-condemns-american-decision-to-recognize- jerusalem-as-israels-capital/

JIH, Protest against the American government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Posted on 22 December 2017 by Admin_markaz

A Public Meeting was organized by Muslim organizations and ”justice & freedom-loving”’ people on the 21st December at press club of india from 2.30 PM onwards to protest the recent decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and shift the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This would alter the religious and legal status of Jerusalem and is unacceptable. It would be a clear violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions especially UNSCR 478 of 1980. It would destabilize the region; create conflict delay a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli illegal occupation and colonization of Palestine. Mr. Adnan Abu-al-Ahsaj ambassador of Palestine, Mr. Naveed Hamid, President All India Muslim Majlise Mushawarat, Swami Awami Vishish, Mr. Mohsin, Imam Shia Compound Mosque Maulana Naseer Ali, Vice-Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Nusrat Ali, presided over the program, remarked by Zikr ur Rehman former ambassador to Palestine, Mr. Niyaz Farooqui Secretary Jamiat Ulema I Hind, Mr. Engineer Muhammad Saleem Secretary General Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and officials from Lok Sangatna were present in the program. At last, the Ambassador of Palestine in India, Mr. Adnan Abu-al-Ahsaj expressed his views. His speech was very motivational. He said we Palestinians have settled there for 5,000 years – different nations attacked us and tried to exile us from our land but it cannot be done, he said

5 we will finally get our freedom. “He said that Palestinians are working to resist enemies, many of them became martyrs and many prisoners are locked in. But their determination and passion has not decreased martyrdom- thanked the Indians for supporting Palestinian people. http://jamaateislamihind.org/eng/protest-against-the-american-governments-decision-to- recognize-jerusalem-as-the-capital-of-israel/ Video Links: https://www.facebook.com/JIHMarkaz/videos/1192839037527656/

Indian Muslim organizations condemn the US move on occupied Jerusalem The Milli Gazette Online Published Online: Dec 07, 2017 Jamaat-e-Islami Hind http://www.milligazette.com/news/16019-indian-muslim-organisations-condemn-the-us-move- on-occupied-jerusalem New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has condemned the recent announcement by the American government to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In a statement to the media the Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, T Arif Ali said: “we are deeply concerned and deplore the recent decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and shift the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This would alter the religious and legal status of Jerusalem and is unacceptable. It would be a clear violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions especially UNSCR 478 of 1980. It would destabilize the region, create conflict, offend the religious sensibilities of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims and delay a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” The JIH Vice President averred: “The international community has remained a mute spectator to the recent escalation of Judaization of Al Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) including attacks on its Arab, Muslim and Christian landmarks; and continuous attempts to displace and expel Palestinians living in Jerusalem by all means of harassment, especially in the form of revoking their residency permits, prohibiting them from living in the city and banning them from

6 all forms of construction, including rebuilding and renovating their homes and places of worship. The Israeli occupation authorities have also refused to issue permits to educational, medical and services institutions, all the while continuing to implement policies aiming to change the Arab identity of the Holy city”. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind calls upon America to refrain from any move that alters the legal- religious status of Jerusalem and expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian cause that requires effort and cooperation on the part of all justice loving people in order to bring to an end to the discriminatory colonial occupation that continues to challenge the entire free world.

Students Islamic Organization of India. (SIO)

More than 500 Protest demonstration and Corner meetings In major cities and across India

Official Press statement: Jerusalem sanctity cannot be reduced to mere Politics: Nahas Mala New Delhi: National president of SIO, Br Nahas mala condemned American president decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel capital. He further added that, Jerusalem has been a sanctified land for all the three major Abrahamic faiths and like wise must be respected. This decision is absolutely one sided and cannot be reduced to mere justifications of conflict resolution. Israel has been serially violating Palestinian rights and instead of healing their wounds president trump is siding with unjust voices. International community and Muslims around the world must voice against this decision and truly assure Palestinian rights , He Concluded. http://sio-india.org/jerusalem-sanctity-cannot-be-reduced-to-mere-politics-nahas-mala/

Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind(JUH)

Protest Demonstration: more than 1000 Friday Sermon in around: 5000 Mosque

Jamiat Ulamai-Hind holds giant protest against America’s Jerusalem stand at more than one thousand places across the country December 22, 2017 New Delhi, December, 22, 2017:- Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind one of premier Muslim organization of the country today held protest against America’s Jerusalem stand and its continued insistence despite international pressure at more than 1015 places across the length and breadth of the country. It is estimated that more than ten million peoples have taken part in

9 this protest. This is one of the biggest protests after the president Trump declared its stand early this month. The Protesters came out with banners and play cards at various mega cities like Mumbai, Pune, Kolkatta, Guwahati, Agartalla, Patna, Ranchi, Banaras,Kanpur, Dehradun, Gaya, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Surat, Bangalore, Chennai declaring the decision as cruel and very dangerous to world peace. Before taking out protest march they offered special supplication for Palestine in juma prayers. Among the various protests the “End Jewish occupation of Jerusalem and stop killing innocent” hogged the lime light of the protest.

Maulana Usman Mansoorpuri, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind while leading protest march at Banaras read out the declaration that was adopted at the very important Consultative Meeting on Palestine on December 20,2017. At this consultative meeting a resolution was unanimously adopted to condemn and express deep concern over American President unilateral decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This Consultative meeting was attended by number of prominent Parliamentarians, Leaders of Muslim Organisations, Ambassadors/ Diplomats, Social & Political Leaders and Intellectuals. The resolution further reads “This is against the UN and the international commitment that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory by Israel since 1967.”

“We reaffirm our firm position regarding independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. This attempt by US is to legalise the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. This is not going to help in peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue.”

“We demand an unequivocal condemnation by Government of India in tune with India’s historically held position that is; we are for independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.” The resolution said. This resolution was also handed over to The District Magistrates in every city for Secretary General, United Nation, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India, H.E. The Ambassador, Embassy of United State, New Delhi

Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulamai-Hind while expressing his deep satisfaction over taking out protest march across the country said that America has been internationally isolated over this issue for behaving arrogantly and irresponsibly. He also exhorted American citizens to hit the street for protesting against Donal Trump unilateral decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, because the issue of Alquds involves many world religions and international humanity.

Ulama announces nation-wide protest on Dec. 22 Ambassadors, MPs condemn Trump decision on Jerusalem; Jamiat December 21, 2017, 12:43 PM IST

11 https://www.siasat.com/news/ambassadors-mps-condemn-trump-decision-jerusalem-jamiat- ulama-announces-nation-wide-protest-dec-22-1284040/

New Delhi: In the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital, Jamiat Ulama Hind organized an advisory meeting for Palestine. Ambassadors of Muslim countries, members of parliament and intellectuals strongly condemns the US decision. In an emotional speech, Palestinian ambassador to India Adnan M.A. Abualhayjaa said ‘6th December is the Black Day in our history’. He said the world doesn’t know what sacrifices we can made for Masjid-e-Aqsa. He further said by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, US has lost its role as mediator now it has become a party. Turkish ambassador Shakir Uskan Turunlar said ‘Turkey is the first country which raised strong voice against the move and played key role in making it the issue of Islamic world.’ Iranian ambassador Ghulam Raza Ansari said Iran is standing with Palestine and will always do so. He hoped that Palestine will be free one day. Leader of Communist Party of India Sitaram Yechury asked the Indian government to stop buying weapons from Israel, because the country is using the money to exploit Palestinians. General Secretary Jamiat Ulama Maulana Mahmood Madani said government of India should adopt its old policy regarding Palestine. Deviating from Gandhi Ji’s policy on this issue will be destructive. Jamiat Ulama announced protest processions on December 22, in all the cities of India, including national capital Delhi.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind protests US stand on Jerusalem The resolution further reads “this is against the UN and the international commitment that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory by Israel since 1967.” Greater Kashmir Srinagar, Publish Date: Dec 23 2017 12:57AM | Updated Date: Dec 23 2017 12:57AM http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/india/jamiat-ulama-i-hind-protests-us-stand-on- jerusalem/269818.html

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a Muslim organization today held protests in various states against America’s Jerusalem stand. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind resented continued insistence of US despite international pressure at more than 1015 places across the country. “It is estimated that more than ten million people have taken part in this protest. This is one of the biggest protests after the US president Trump declared its stand early this month. The protesters came out with banners and placards at various mega cities like Mumbai, Pune, Kolkatta, Guwahati, Agartalla, Patna, Ranchi, Banaras,Kanpur, Dehradun, Gaya, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Surat, Bangalore, Chennai declaring the decision as cruel and very dangerous to world peace,” Jamiat Ulamai-Hind spokesperson said in a statement. It said before taking out protest march, they offered special supplication for Palestine in Friday prayers. Among the various protests the “End Jewish occupation of Jerusalem and stop killing innocent” hogged the lime light of the protest, the statement said. Maulana Usman Mansoorpuri, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind while leading protest march at Banaras read out the declaration that was adopted at Consultative Meeting on Palestine on 20 December 2017. At this consultative meeting a resolution was unanimously adopted to condemn

13 and express deep concern over American President’s unilateral decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The statement said the consultative meeting was attended by number of prominent parliamentarians, leaders of Muslim Organisations, ambassadors, diplomats, social and political leaders and intellectuals. The resolution further reads “this is against the UN and the international commitment that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory by Israel since 1967.” “We reaffirm our firm position regarding independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. This attempt by US is to legalise the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. This is not going to help in peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue,” it said. “We demand an unequivocal condemnation by Government of India in tune with India’s historically held position that is; we are for independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the resolution said. The statement said this resolution was also handed over to the district magistrates in every city for secretary general, United Nation, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India, the Ambassador, Embassy of United States, New Delhi Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary of Jamiat Ulamai-Hind while expressing his deep satisfaction over taking out protest march across the country said that “America has been internationally isolated over this issue for behaving arrogantly and irresponsibly.” He also exhorted American citizens to hit the street for protesting against Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, because the issue of Alquds involves many world religions and international humanity.

New Delhi: Reacting to Donald Trump announcement of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Maulana Mahmoo Madani General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama –i-Hind today condemned the move saying that its highly provocative. This move will not only create unrest in the region but entire Muslim ummah across the world, he said. “The US has not only ignored the international law but also ignored the international apprehension on the issue. This move has also subverted the efforts to usher in peace in the region.” Maulana Madani also exhorted the UN to convene an urgent meeting on the issue and protect the interest of the Palestinians in

14 keeping with its past rulings and conventions. Maulana Madani also appealed to the Arab world to review their diplomatic relations with the Unites States.

India-Palestine Solidarity Forum slams US stand on Jerusalem http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-palestine-solidarity-forum-slams-us-stand-on- jerusalem/1/1115757.html Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) India-Palestine Solidarity Forum, a city-based organisation, today condemned the declaration made by US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It also asked the Indian government to make clear its stand on the issue. Social activist Teesta Setalvad, addressing a press conference here, compared "Trump declaration" to the Balfour Declaration whereby Britain "gifted Palestine to the Jewish people" a century ago. The Forum called Trumps decision as another glaring instance of US arrogance. It goes against an international consensus and framework of UN resolutions and international laws, it said. National General Secretary of the Forum Feroze Mithiborwala said they were more concerned by the "utter silence" of the Narendra Modi government on the issue. "PM Modis affinity to Israel may see a further diminishing global role for our country, as India moves deeper into the US-Israeli camp. This will be a betrayal of all that India stands for, a betrayal of the legacy of our anti-colonial freedom struggle and the moral values on which modern India was built," Mithiborwala said. Communist leader Prakash Reddy said on this occasion, "The Trump Declaration on its part is leading to tectonic shifts across the region and therefore." The US now stands isolated, and the decision has weakening the US role in the Middle-East and across the world, he said. PTI APM KRK

Muslim Political Council of India US, Zionist regime trying to sow discord among Muslims

TIMES OF NEWS DECEMBER 8, 2017 Talking to IRNA in an exclusive interview on Friday, Dr. Tasleem Ahmad Rahmani who is the head of the Muslim Political Council of India denounced the decision made by the US President Donald Trump. He said the US and the Zionist regime aimed to cause divide among Muslims. “This is the oldest US policy to recognize Jerusalem as the Zionist regime’s capital; even Barack Obama earlier tried to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem but it was delayed. And then Donald Trump during his election campaign tried to give an expression that his West Asia policy will be direct and blunt. That’s why he has taken this decision to shift the embassy.’ He further noted that “They are trying to convince the entire world to accept Jerusalem as the capital of Zionist regime. But the irony is that Muslim world will never accept it because Palestinians have a legitimate claim on Jerusalem geographically, politically, economically and even historically. The rest of the world – particularly France and Germany – also reacted to this decision. The United Nations too is going to hold a meeting on this subject. By and large, it is not in favor of shifting US embassy to Jerusalem.” Commenting on the role of Zionist regime lobby in pushing Trump into decision, Rahmani stressed that “the Zionist regime lobby in the US and the rest of the world, through economic and political pressure, has tried to get the Zionist regime to be accepted with Jerusalem as its capital. Now with the election of Donald Trump as the US president, the Zionist regime lobby has got an open support and as Benjamin Netanyahu has said before, they are going to achieve their goals within two years. So it is very clear that Zionist lobby is behind all the problems of the Middle East region be it in Yemen or Qatar.” He went on to stress that the “Middle East is already politically disturbed and there is instability in this region and all these tactics are being taken to further destabilize the countries of this area. They (US and Zionist regime) want to create a more conducive atmosphere in order to cause division among the Middle East countries. On the other hand, they want to demoralize

16 and put pressure on Iran to derail the attention of the world from killings and atrocities against innocent people of Palestine.” The head of Muslim Political Council of India concluded by stressing that “Muslims are against the US policies, but some of the Muslim governments have taken side with the US and Zionist regime and that is the real problem. These monarchs support the US tactically and politically but general Muslim population do not support what is happening in Yemen, Qatar and other Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia has built hidden relations with the Zionist regime and they support the US policies also. Thus these forces cause division among different sectors of Muslim world and this divide will benefit the Zionist regime and US only.” US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening in a press conference by ignoring UN Security Council Resolution 478 dated 1980 which called Israel’s move to annex East al-Quds and announce that as Israel’s capital as ‘Illegal’, and said, ‘Time is ripe to recognize Quds as Israel capital.’ He also ordered necessary preparedness to be done to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds. In 1967, Israel occupied Quds and called it as ‘Eternal capital of Israel’, but international community did not recognize the move and Palestinians consider it as their own capital.

Assad Uddin Owaisi, MIM chief , Prominent Muslim Leader and Member of Parliament

Recognize Jerusalem as Palestine capital, sever ties with Israel, Owaisi tells govt Owaisi said PM Modi should not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit India in January.

INDIA Updated: Dec 16, 2017 12:38 IST

Indo Asian News Service, Hyderabad

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/recognise-jerusalem-as-palestine-capital-sever- ties-with-israel-owaisi-tells-govt/story-zinOdKLy76o14MocEJRtbL.html MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the Indian government to recognise Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital to counter US President Donald Trump’s move in recognising the holy city as Israel’s capital. He also demanded that India stop buying weapons from Israel and sever diplomatic ties with the country. The Member of Parliament said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit India in January. Owaisi was addressing a massive public meeting organised by Muslim groups here late on Friday night to protest Trump’s announcement recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A resolution passed at the meeting said Trump’s announcement violates all international norms. It demanded that Trump withdraw the decision. Owaisi said India should take a clear stand in support of Palestinians as the country had historically backed their just cause.

Owaisi wants India to condemn US decision on Jerusalem as Israel capital Seeks to know what is the policy of Prime Minister Modi on US announcement Published: 15:53 December 7, 2017 http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/owaisi-wants-india-to-condemn-us-decision-on- jerusalem-as-israel-capital-1.2137103

Recognise Jerusalem as Palestine capital: MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi By IANS | Dec 16, 2017 11:36 am http://www.freepressjournal.in/india/recognise-jerusalem-as-palestine-capital-mim-chief- asaduddin-owaisi/1188005 Hyderabad: MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the Indian government to recognise Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital to counter US President Donald Trump’s move in recognising the holy city as Israel’s capital.

He also demanded that India stop buying weapons from Israel and sever diplomatic ties with the country. The Member of Parliament said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit India in January. Owaisi was addressing a massive public meeting organised by Muslim groups here late on Friday night to protest Trump’s announcement recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A resolution passed at the meeting said Trump’s announcement violates all international norms. It demanded that Trump withdraw the decision. Owaisi said India should take a clear stand in support of Palestinians as the country had historically backed their just cause. He recalled the words of Mahatma Gandhi that “Palestine belongs to Palestinians just as France belongs to French”.

Indo-Arab League

Indo-Arab League condemns US move on Jerusalem December 8, 2017 https://munsifdaily.in/2017/12/08/indo-arab-league-condemns-us-move-jerusalem/ Hyderabad, Dec 8 : The Indo-Arab League, a non-governmental organisation working to promote relations between India and the Arab countries, has condemned the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Terming the move by US President Donald Trump as incendiary in a volatile region, League Chairman Syed Vicaruddin said inspite of many resolutions passed by the UN Security Council, Washington was abandoning its leading role as a mediator. In a statement, Vicarduddin said he condemns the announcement by Trump that US will be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He said many countries including European nations have alarm over the US move as its repercussions for any chances of reviving peacemaking between Israel and Palestine. Vicaruddin demanded that the US reconsider its faulty decision and avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity, historical status of Jerusalem and the world peace. (IANS)

Jerusalem Conflict: Indo-Arab League condemns US move; Congress calls it disturbing December 8, 2017 http://sachtimes.com/en/india/21530-jerusalem-conflict-indo-arab-league-condemns-us-move- congress-calls-it-disturbing/ The Indian National Congress slammed US President Donald Trump’s move of recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and called it “disturbing” and “in conflict with the United Nations’ resolutions on Palestine”. The party also urged upon all parties concerned to resolve the Palestine issue peacefully and expeditiously in accordance with the 1993 Oslo Accord.

“The announcement of US President on Jerusalem has invited criticism and outrage of the international community. It is in conflict with the UN resolutions on Palestine. The development is disturbing,” said Anand Sharma, who is Deputy leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha. In a statement, Sharma said that the Congress urges all parties concerned to resolve the Palestine issue peacefully and expeditiously in accordance with the 1993 Oslo Accord between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat. He also said: “It is the duty of all member states of the United Nations to respect the resolutions on Palestine and to ensure that the status quo on Jerusalem is maintained as per the international consensus embodied in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 of August 20, 1980. While the Indo-Arab League, a non-governmental organisation working to promote relations between India and the Arab countries, also has condemned the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Terming the move by US President Donald Trump as incendiary in a volatile region, League Chairman Syed Vicaruddin said inspite of many resolutions passed by the UN Security Council, Washington was abandoning its leading role as a mediator.

In a statement, Vicarduddin said he condemns the announcement by Trump that US will be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He said many countries including European nations have alarm over the US move as its repercussions for any chances of reviving peacemaking between Israel and Palestine. Vicaruddin demanded that the US reconsider its faulty decision and avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity, historical status of Jerusalem and the world peace. Trump on Wednesday formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in the face of international criticism while asserting that he was “not taking a position of any final status” of the ancient city that is also claimed by Palestine.

India, Over 100 Nations Vote At UN Against Donald Trump's Decision On Jerusalem Earlier this month, Donald Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing the United States recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

World | Reuters | Updated: December 22, 2017 01:09 IST https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/over-100-countries-defy-donald-trump-vote-for-jerusalem-un-resolution-1790758 UNITED NATIONS: HIGHLIGHTS 1. US recognised Jerusalem, also claimed by Palestine, as capital of Israel 2. Arab, Muslim countries called for vote asking for rolling back move 3. 128 countries backed resolution, 9 voted against and 35 abstained More than 100 countries including India defied US President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, nine voted against and 35 abstained.

Trump's threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.

Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated on the world stage as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure.

India did not speak on the floor of the Assembly in New York, but after Trump recognised the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it had said that its Palestine position was independent and consistent.

In her intervention at the non-aligned movement's ministerial meeting on Palestine on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said the path to Israel-Jerusalem peace clearly lay in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.

A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, nine voted against and 35 abstained. (File)

Ahead of the vote, the United States said it was "singled out for attack" at the United Nations over Jerusalem, which holds Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites.

"The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation," US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told the 193-member General Assembly.

"We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations, and so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit," she said.

Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of US policy by announcing the United Statesrecognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and would move its embassy there.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who were furious over Trump's move. The international community does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the full city.

The vote was called at the request of Arab and Muslim countries. The United States, backing its ally Israel, vetoed the resolution on Monday in the 15-member UN Security Council.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem."

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told the United States it could not buy Turkey's support in Thursday's vote.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

"I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects from there (the United Nations) and the world will give a very good lesson to the United States," Erdogan said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the United Nations as a "house of lies" ahead of the vote.

"The State of Israel totally rejects this vote, even before (the resolution's) approval," Netanyahu said in a speech in the port city of Ashdod. © Thomson Reuters 2017

1 Dead, Scores Hurt In Palestinian 'Day Of Rage' Over Jerusalem Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day, expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of U.S. policy. World | Reuters | Updated: December 09, 2017 01:16 IST https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/1-dead-scores-hurt-in-palestinian-day-of-rage-over- jerusalem-1785499 JERUSALEM/GAZA: At least one person was killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Friday when thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the Palestinian president said Washington could no longer be a peace broker.

Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day, expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of U.S. policy.

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. Scores of people were wounded on the "Day of Rage".

The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border.

"During the riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed," it said.

More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday.

As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way towards the walled Old City gates, chanting "Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital" and "We don't need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs". Scuffles broke out between protesters and police. In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas.

In Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian uprising like the "intifadas" of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, which together saw thousands of Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israeliskilled.

A Palestinian protestor uses a sling to hurl stones towards Israeli troops during clashes (Reuters)

"Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions," said Hamas leader Fathy Hammad as protesters in Gaza burned posters of Trump.

"We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine." Protests largely died down as night fell. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israeli towns near the Gaza border, and the Israeli military said it had intercepted one of at least two projectiles fired from Gaza. No damage or casualties were reported.

Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militant group linked to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party said it was responsible for firing one of the rockets, in protest at Trump's decision.

Residents in Gaza heard explosions near the border after the rockets were fired and Hamas

26 media said Israeli tanks had fired on a militant position. The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of the incident, in which no casualties were reported.

At the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington still had credibility as a mediator with both Israel and the Palestinians.

"The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Haley told the U.N. Security Council.

But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared defiant.

"We reject the American decision over Jerusalem. With this position the United States has become no longer qualified to sponsor the peace process," Abbas said in a statement. He did not elaborate further.

France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to "bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement".

"Promise Fulfilled"

Trump's announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy

27 to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike.

For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. No other country has an embassy there.

The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Administration officials say all serious peace plans call for Israel to have its capital in Jerusalem, whatever the outcome of other issues.

Trump has also noted that Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton all promised as candidates to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "I fulfilled my campaign promise - others didn't!" Trump tweeted on Friday with a video montage of campaign speeches on the issue by his three predecessors.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city in future talks.

"With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide."

Still, some Muslim countries view the Trump administration's motives with particular suspicion. As a candidate he proposed banning all Muslims from entering the United States, and in office he has tried to block entry by citizens of several Muslim-majority states. Last week he retweeted anti-Muslim videos by a British far-right group.

"Death To The Devil"

In Ramallah, the seat of Abbas's Palestinian Authority, the leader's religious affairs adviser said Trump's stance was an affront to Islam and Christianity alike.

"America has chosen to elect a president who has put it in enmity with all Muslims and Christians," said Mahmoud al-Habbash.

In Iran, which has never recognised Israel and supports anti-Israel militants, demonstrators burned pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting "Death to the Devil".

Opposition to the U.S. move has united Iran's pragmatist faction, which supports greater openness to the outside world, with hardliners who oppose it.

In Cairo, capital of Egypt, a U.S. ally which has a peace treaty with Israel, hundreds of protesters who had gathered in Al-Azhar mosque and outside in its courtyard chanted "Jerusalem is Arab! O Trump, you madman, the Arab people are everywhere!"

The imam leading Friday prayer at Al-Azhar said the U.S. plan to move its embassy to Jerusalem was a "terrorist decision". The mosque's Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, rejected an invitation to meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia. France said the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East. "The reality is they are alone and isolated on this issue," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

(Additional reporting by Ammar Awad, Omar Fahmy and Maayan Lubell, John Irish in Paris and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and James Dalgleish) © Thomson Reuters 2017

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Clashes In Jerusalem, West Bank Over Donald Trump's Jerusalem Move Clashes and scuffles broke out in Jerusalem's Old City as well as in other locations, including Hebron, Bethlehem and the Nablus area in the West Bank, after the main weekly Muslim prayers, but the unrest was limited so far.

World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: December 08, 2017 17:59 IST https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/clashes-in-jerusalem-west-bank-over-donald-trumps-jerusalem-move-1785391 JERUSALEM: Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces on Friday in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank after calls for a "day of rage" over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Clashes and scuffles broke out in Jerusalem's Old City as well as in other locations, including Hebron, Bethlehem and the Nablus area in the West Bank, after the main weekly Muslim prayers, but the unrest was limited so far.

Palestinians in some areas threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, AFP journalists reported.

In Jerusalem's Old City, about 50 police pushed back some 200 demonstrators while kicking and hitting them with their batons.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported one person wounded from live fire and 12 from rubber bullets so far.

Several hundred additional police were deployed in and around east Jerusalem's Old City, the

30 location of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam and where thousands attended the main weekly prayers.

Israel's military has also deployed hundreds of reinforcements to the West Bank.

"It's empty talk," a 20-year-old man who only gave his name as Omar said of Trump's decision as he walked toward Al-Aqsa for prayers.

"No matter what happens, we know Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine, not of Israel. Israel is an occupier."

Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

Its status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and international consensus has been that it must be negotiated between the two sides.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

"Our Palestine Position Independent": India On US' Jerusalem Announcement Donald Trump on Wednesday recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and also started on a plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv All India | Reported by Nidhi Razdan | Updated: December 07, 2017 09:58 IST https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/our-stand-independent-india-after-trump-announcement- on-jerusalem-1784618 NEW DELHI: India, in its first reaction on US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel, said today that its position on Palestine is independent and not determined

31 by any third country.

"India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

President Trump on Wednesday recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and also started on a plan to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, overturning decades of US policy and sparking fears of fresh violence in the Middle East. Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East have condemned the move as incendiary in a volatile region and Palestinians say Washington is abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator.

The development is seen to leave India, friends with both Palestine and Israel, in a sort of diplomatic dilemma.

India has historically supported the Palestinian cause, and its statements have always referred to East Jerusalem as being the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

Earlier this year, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on India's support for an independent Palestinian state in a joint statement but did not mention East Jerusalem.

Since 1992, New Delhi's ties with Tel Aviv have been steadily warming and this year, PM Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel.

Articles

1 UN Jerusalem vote: Why India went against the US While one can doubt the positives of voting with the US, none would have questioned the wisdom of abstention Last Published: Tue, Dec 26 2017. 08 14 PM IST. http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/fnEMgsIMs1FGsz89OplH7M/UN-Jerusalem-vote-Why-India- went-against-the-US.html

What do we make of India’s vote in the UN general assembly (UNGA) condemning the US for moving its embassy to, and recognizing, Jerusalem as the capital of Israel? The explanation trotted out for the UN vote seems to be based on six assumptions. The first of these is the belief that Arab states would somehow penalize India for voting with the US on this issue. Variously this involves either an oil embargo or action against the Indian diaspora in the Gulf. This is a problematic proposition. The idea of a free floating energy market is a core element of Pax Americana—so much so that by 1974, the US had made some very unsubtle threats to use force against the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to break the oil embargo that had triggered a full-blown energy crisis. Since then, Opec has not used oil embargos to support geopolitical goals, though it has used excessive oil production and low prices to hurt Russia and Iran (countries that challenge the Pax Americana) economically. The clearest demonstration of this was in 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait. India’s position was openly hostile to the coalition formed to liberate Kuwait with zero consequence. The Indian diaspora faced no mass deportations, nor indeed threats to that effect from the Gulf states . All this, of course, ignores the fact that such actions would be impossible by US allies against a country voting with the US, completely disproportionate to a UNGA vote and that too for a cause long since written off by the Arab world as a waste of its time. The second reason given is that Indian Muslims would punish the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for voting with Israel. Again, this is shorn of any cause-effect analysis, based on the simplistic assumptions. One such is the assumption that Indian Muslims choose who to vote for based on

33 foreign policy, an absurdity in a country where no one really cares about foreign policy, as our electoral history shows. Third is the belief that the Palestinians would view the Indian vote favourably. The problem here is that Palestinian goodwill or the lack thereof means zero to India—tangibly or esoterically. This is, after all, a country that votes for every obnoxious anti-India resolution on Kashmir that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) comes up with periodically, and in terms of goods and services means exactly nothing to India. In effect, this would be like prioritizing ties with Swaziland (with a gross domestic product similar to Palestine) over ties with the US. Fourth is the argument that India’s vote reflects its concern over the sovereignty of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, through which China is building infrastructure. This is bogus, for the simple reason that by this measure, the then national security adviser Shivshankar Menon’s March 2014 statement that “Russia has legitimate interests in Ukraine”, justifying Russia’s ongoing aggression there (à Pakistan in Kashmir in 1947), was enough to erode Indian claims of sovereignty over Kashmir. Fifth is the belief that Israel will ignore this slight. In the normal course of things, that may very well have been the case. Israel is, after all, quite used to posturing and ridiculous partisanship. As the then foreign minister of Israel, Abba Eban, had summed it up, “If Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions”. The problem here is that in under a month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be arriving on a state visit to Delhi. Given the unprecedented reception Prime Minister Narendra Modi got in Israel, this vote is extremely bad manners, that causes him embarrassment back home, over the logic of prioritizing India. All this brings us to the sixth and final rationale—that the US would ignore India’s vote. Indeed, given this vote was about scoring rhetorical points, logic would dictate that the US would ignore it. Except we have a president in office who is not willing to do that any more, as he himself has said and demonstrated on several occasions. What makes this threat tangible is the fact that he is willing to link up issues in international negotiations that were not up for linking before, such as trade and jobs with geopolitics , in a way previous presidents were shy to. In the final analysis, what was rhetorically and politically unimportant to the Arabs, was politically critical to the US president and we failed to understand this.

While one can doubt the positives of voting with the US, none would have questioned the wisdom of abstention. Yet we chose the doctrinaire path with the maximum negatives and negligible positives typical of the ministry of external affairs’ usual lack of academic rigour or research. More importantly, what has become clear is that Modi is increasingly trapped in a bureaucratic echo chamber of his own creation. He conflates activity with achievement and has been convinced that foreign policy begins and ends with state visits that leave him none the wiser (or indeed curious) about the politics of the target state. In other words, as Sir Humphrey Appleby put it in Yes Minister, he has been “housetrained”. Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves, at what point is our foreign policy going to become responsible and responsive, who is going to initiate it, and is the prime minister going to start acting prime ministerial or simply be content to play the role of chief mouser to South Block? Abhijit Iyer-Mitra is senior fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

UN Jerusalem vote: Why India voted against the US

The rest of the world can only continue to uphold the principles on which previous West Asian peace processes have been based – one of them being that the final status of Jerusalem should be part of a final peace agreement – until there is clarity on Mr Trump’s endgame

EDITORIALS Updated: Dec 24, 2017 17:39 IST

Hindustan Times http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/un-jerusalem-vote-why-india-voted-against-the- us/story-SKytFJDWbj7d0eHKuY1PbN.html The US suffered a telling if symbolic defeat in the United Nations General Assembly which voted 128-9 with 35 abstensions on a resolution that denounces the US decision to recognize

Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. India was among many friends of the US who voted against the administration’s decision. The resolution will have no effect on West Asia, least of all the moribund Palestinian peace process. In normal circumstances, the lopsided vote would have been a warning shot to the US about the direction of its West Asia policy. Today, it will probably encourage Trump to further make the US an irresponsible stakeholder in West Asia. The rest of the world can only continue to uphold the principles on which previous West Asian peace processes have been based – one of them being that the final status of Jerusalem should be part of a final peace agreement – until there is clarity on Mr Trump’s endgame. If the US is signalling a desire to extricate itself from the peace process then the question is whether there is anyone else prepared to pick up the slack. Another question: is the Palestinian issue a priority in a region where deeper, more dangerous conflicts and fault lines have emerged? Indeed, many countries are being forced to think through their West Asian interests. India is no exception. This is why New Delhi has begun saying its views on issues such as the Jerusalem one will not be based on those of “third countries.” India now de-hyphenates its Israel and Palestine relations, letting them run on separate tracks. The defence relationship with Israel is alone so broad and deep that it cannot be hostage to the views of the Arab world. Nonetheless, India remains of the view that secular Palestinians deserve an independent nation. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Israel and Palestine on two separate journeys he will symbolically reflect this reality. So does the fact that India cast its UN vote just a month before the State visit of the Israeli prime minister. Clearly defining the country’s public position, and explaining it others players is an urgent task for emerging powers such as India that have to operate in turbulent regions like West Asia. Restating fuzzy principles and making impractical suggestions are no longer sufficient. With the US surrendering its honest broker status and no alternative visible, West Asia is a diplomatic minefield that needs mapping before someone accidentally steps on one.

US will remember this day: Envoy Nikki Haley on UN Jerusalem vote More than 120 countries defied US President Donald Trump and voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for the US to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

WORLD Updated: Dec 21, 2017 23:51 IST http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-will-remember-this-day-envoy-nikki-haley-on- un-jerusalem-vote/story-3aeOCJYJEIwmIM9NGY8KBL.html US ambassador Nikki Haley warned on Thursday of reprisals ahead of a UN vote expected to reject the US decision on Jerusalem, warning “the United States will remember this day.” “This vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN,” Haley told the UN General Assembly, AFP reported. More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Reuters reported. Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote. Trump’s threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions. A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the vote “a victory for Palestine” but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the vote.

India's deafening silence after Trump's Jerusalem shift

37 by Zeenat Saberin 12 Dec 2017 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/india-deafening-silence-trump-jerusalem-shift- 171211155054771.html India's two-sentence response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week elicited mixed reactions after New Delhi for decades strongly backed the Palestinian cause. The static statement to a dynamic situation was described by some as muted, others as pragmatic, and still others alleging it imbibes the anti-Muslim right-wing consensus of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country," Raveesh Kumar, spokesman of India's Ministry of External Affairs, said last Thursday. But critics say this was deliberately vague and India should have posited a more vigorous reaction, considering the serious and retrograde effect of US President Donald Trump's Jerusalem announcement.

"A more robust response would be to state India's position upfront. In any case, it would call for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state," Manoj Joshi, senior analyst at the Observer Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera. In previous decades - with the centrist Congress Party in power - solidarity with Palestine was an integral part of India's foreign policy.

Nivedita Menon, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said the government's lone comment has clearly reversed India's stance on Palestine.

"It is not surprising that India will now not say anything against Israel as there is a very close bond being built between the two. The current Indian government's closeness to Israel is also owing to the very clear Islamophobia of both the regimes. That's very obvious. It's a coming together of Islamophobic regimes," Menon told Al Jazeera.

"India has always expressed solidarity with Palestine. India has always opposed Israel's occupation of Palestine. There has been a long history of that. The democratic people of India still support Palestine, but the Indian state has clearly marked a shift," she added.

The ruling BJP has fought most national and local elections on a Hindu nationalist agenda, with many party members accused of making anti-Muslim statements to polarise Hindu voters.

BJP legislator Subramaniam Swamy has also called on India to shift its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem like Trump pledged to do.

Palestinian cause India-Israel ties have flourished since a ground-breaking trip by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July this year. Modi's predecessors had kept Israel at arm's length with New Delhi being a vocal supporter of the Palestinians. Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel Modi, however, has spoken of his personal affinity for Israel and his visit to the country before he became prime minister. He pointedly missed visiting Ramallah this year, the seat of the Palestine Authority and a customary stop for visiting leaders trying to maintain a balance in political ties.

But Sreeram Chaulia, dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs, said India's evolving ties with Israel are based on pragmatism.

"I don't think the fact that we are increasing our strategic cooperation with Israel should in any way come at the expense of the Palestinians. Our cooperation is based on pragmatic mutual benefit," Chaulia told Al Jazeera.

"We are independent, not influenced by outsiders. Similarly on this issue, we have an embassy of Palestine in Delhi. India is a major contributor to the Palestinian Authority and its institutions

… If India was a major political player in the Middle East, we would have been forced to take a stand, but we are not."

India and Israel have deep military ties. In 2017, India signed two arms deals, spending $2.6bn on Israeli missile defence systems.

Economist Prabhat Patnaik said the decolonisation of Palestine is a precondition for world peace and in India's interest.

"Since an overwhelming number of countries in the world support Palestine's decolonisation, by distancing itself from this goal, India is also distancing itself from these countries," he told Al Jazeera.

However, the "Hindu right, which currently rules the country", wants to get closer to the US- Israel axis because of its "ideological affinity ... of a shared anti-Muslim attitude", Patnaik said.

India's silence India's stated position on East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital has remained a part of official statements.

Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel On Monday, the foreign ministers of Russia, China, and India said in a joint statement in New Delhi that they continue to back an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through various UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, among initiatives.

But India's relative silence after Trump's radical decision on Jerusalem could well mark a point of departure in the country's moral support for the Palestinian cause.

Professor Menon said India's solidarity with the Palestinians will for now have to be borne by ordinary citizens.

"It will have to be non-state, people-to-people contacts for India-Palestine solidarity now. I don't see how any ethical stance can condone Israel's occupation of Palestine. There is no ethical argument that can justify the occupation," Menon said

Israel ‘upset’ with India’s ties with Palestine

Stanly Johny JERUSALEM, OCTOBER 16, 2015 16:53 IST UPDATED: OCTOBER 18, 2016 14:19 IS http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/Israel-%E2%80%98upset%E2%80%99-with- India%E2%80%99s-ties-with-Palestine/article10160304.ece

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told President Pranab Mukherjee that Israel expects India to change its stand towards Palestine. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his unhappiness with India’s “lenience” towards Palestine.

In a state lunch hosted by Mr. Netanyahu at King David hotel in Jerusalem on Thursday, he told Pranab Mukherjee that Israel expects India to change its stand towards Palestine, according to a person who was present at the lunch.

“The Israelis want India to end its pro-Palestine policy. They expect a decisive shift in India’s approach towards the issue under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi,” said the person, who did not want to be named.

“The Israelis are not happy that he (Mr. Mukherjee) went to and stayed overnight at Palestine. The Palestinians are not happy that we have good relationship with Israel. But overall, the

41 president has re-emphasised India’s Israel-Palestine policy, that it’s hyphenated,” said the person.

Mr. Mukherjee skipped the Palestinian issue in his Knesset speech on Wednesday. The focus of his speech was India’s economic and technological cooperation with Israel, while in Palestine and Jordan he said New Delhi remained committed to the Palestinian cause.

Mr. Netanyahu, on the other side, slammed the “Islamist radicals”, and drew parallels between India and Israel as victims of Islamist terror in his Knesset speech. He referred to Mr. Modi as “dear friend” twice in his speech, and said he speaks to the Mr. Modi “quite often”.

But diplomatic sources said a paradigm shift in India’s foreign policy is practically impossible. “Israel is important for us, for economic and technological cooperation, for critical defence supplies. But we don’t have any ideological association with Israel,” a diplomat told The Hindu, who also requested anonymity.

Asked what India is getting in return for supporting Palestine from a realistic point of view, the official said: “Most countries in the world support the Palestinian statehood. That’s a principled position in international diplomacy. Changing that would malign our image. Also, it’s a sensitive issue at home. We can’t afford to alienate sections of our population over this issue.”

Proud of India, says Palestinian envoy

Suhasini Haidar Kallol Bhattacherjee NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 22, 2017 21:57 IST UPDATED: DECEMBER 22, 2017 22:07 IST

42 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/proud-of-india-says-palestinian-envoy/article22261259.ece ‘By voting for a negotiated settlement of the issue of Jerusalem, India has conveyed that it stands for peace in West Asia’ Palestinians are proud of India and India’s support to the cause of peace in West Asia, the Ambassador of Palestine said, hours after India voted in favour of a negotiated solution to the issue of Jerusalem and against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of the holy city as the capital of Israel.

Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija’s comments came even as the government was praised by the Communist Party of India for voting against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. “We are proud of India and India’s friendship with Palestine. By voting for a negotiated settlement of the issue of Jerusalem, India has conveyed to the world that it stands for peace in West Asia. We wish to thank the Indian government, Indian people and their attitude at the UN which will ensure peace in our region and in the world,” he said.

However, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon reiterated his country’s claim to Jerusalem in the backdrop of the developments at the United Nations General Assembly. “Jerusalem always was the capital of the Jewish people, is and will continue to be the capital of modern Israel. No vote at the General Assembly can change that,” he said.

Officials said India’s reaction to Mr. Trump’s statement had indicated that India would vote for the UN resolution. The Hindu had reported that the Arab countries had also reached out to India for its coveted vote. The resolution moved by the Arab countries received 128 votes for and 9 against, with 35 countries abstaining.

Apart from the diplomatic dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj discussed the vote at the Consultative Committee on External Affairs on Thursday. “Sushmaji informed that India will vote for the resolution in favour of a negotiated settlement of the Jerusalem issue when D. Raja of CPI raised the issue,” said a source familiar with the meeting.

“The government has taken the right decision by supporting the resolution at the UN, which reflects India’s traditional policy on Palestine, as it is a highly sensitive issue,” Mr. Raja said.

Significantly, the government faced criticism from within for the vote, with Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta coming out against the UN resolution. “India should either have abstained or voted against the UN resolution condemning the shifting of US embassy to Jerusalem. We should stand by Israel, a firm friend,” he said on Twitter.

The Palestinian Ambassador, however, said the resolution was a clear sign that Israel could not lay any exclusive claim to Jerusalem. “There cannot be any state of Palestine without East Jerusalem as its capital. India has supported the two-state solution traditionally. We believe Jerusalem is the last and most sensitive of the dispute, and that is why we appreciate major countries like India which support a negotiated solution,” he said.

India’s Jerusalem vote consistent with its position on Palestine India voted in favour of a UN resolution criticising Trump’s Jerusalem move, recording an affirmation of its support of Palestine, undiminished by its growing proximity to the US and Israel.

WORLD Updated: Dec 22, 2017 22:19 IST

Yashwant Raj Hindustan Times, Washington http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/india-s-jerusalem-vote-marked-an-end-and-a- beginning/story-nYxmnZ5T9JvlIJCSzz3JXP.html India’s decision to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution criticising the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital of Israel was “consistent” with its historical position on Palestine and “in tune with global sentiments”.

India voted alongside 128 of the General Assembly’s 193 members on US President Donald Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, which bucked an international consensus lasting decades. And the resolution was approved by an overwhelming majority of countries despite Trump’s threat to cut financial aid to nations that backed it. “The vote was consistent with our position on Palestine historically, across governments going back decades,” said an Indian official, on condition of anonymity. “To expect anything else — specially a no-vote — would be a gross lack of awareness of India’s stand on the issue.” Only nine countries voted against the resolution, including the United States and Israel. Keeping them company were countries like Nauru, Togo, Micronesia, Palau, Guatemala and Honduras — as the official said, “they have no interest in the Middle East, frankly, they just got bullied by the US to get it done”. Thirty-five countries abstained, including Australia and Canada, and 21 didn’t show up to vote at all, deterred perhaps by US threat to cut aid. US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley invited the remaining 64 countries — those that voted against, abstained or were no-shows — to a friendship reception.

Those who voted in support of the resolution included many close allies and “genuine partners” such as Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. India believes this was on Trump. “The big story is the US got itself into this… They are our friends, they are our partners, so is Israel. However, we don’t know why they went down this path… they could have easily just given up and moved on after the Security Council vote, saying we are done,” the official said. The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy recently declared India a “leading global power”, and committed the US to working on advancing quadrilateral cooperation with India, Australia and Japan — a grouping that’s a barely concealed front against China. Coupled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to India, some Indians had speculated India could abstain or vote against the resolution, given growing ties with both the United States and Israel. Others wondered if an abstention might be a better strategy to insulate these evolving but fragile relationships from avoidable challenges, specially from the White House.

However, an Indian diplomat hit the “yes” button in front in the UN General Assembly, recording an affirmation of India’s unwavering support of Palestine, undiminished by its growing proximity to the United States and Israel in the pursuit of its place in an evolving world order. Anyone who expected otherwise, said an Indian diplomat, “would have had the same blinkered vision you guys have in Washington… you missed the warnings and… the signs that India’s support for Palestine goes back by several decades, not just some years”. India has long maintained that Jerusalem — a city claimed by both Israel and Palestine, but occupied by Israel since 1967 — must be a part of “permanent status negotiations” of issues left untouched by the Oslo Accords of 1993. In September, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told fellow leaders at a break-out meeting of the non-aligned movement on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings: “For independent India, support for the Palestinian cause has been a reference point of its foreign policy.”

India Upheld Its Independent Stand On Palestine: Farooq Abdullah Expressing gratitude to the 128 countries that voted in favour of the resolution, Farooq Abdullah said India's support to the measure has upheld its considered, principled and independent stand on Palestine.

All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: December 23, 2017 04:08 IST https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-upheld-its-independent-stand-on-palestine-farooq- abdullah-1791265 SRINAGAR: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Friday that India has upheld its independent stand on Palestine by voting in favour of the UN General Assembly resolution against the United States declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Expressing gratitude to the 128 countries that voted in favour of the resolution, Farooq Abdullah said India's support to the measure has upheld its considered, principled and independent stand on Palestine.

"I thank all countries that voted to support the resolution. The move to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the United States was an arbitrary, unjust and baseless move that defied history and tenets of justice," he said in a statement.

"India, by voting in support of the resolution along with other countries, has upheld its considered and principled stand on Palestine."

The NC president, also a Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, said no such steps that would hamper peace and stability in the Middle East and deprive the people of Palestine of their rights should be allowed.

"India has traditionally and consistently considered East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine and India's support to the UNGA resolution reaffirms that stand and commitment," Mr Abdullah added.

All India | Reported by Nidhi Razdan | Updated: December 07, 2017 09:58 IST https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/our-stand-independent-india-after-trump-announcement-on-jerusalem-1784618

NEW DELHI: India, in its first reaction on US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel, said today that its position on Palestine is independent and not determined by any third country. "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

The development is seen to leave India, friends with both Palestine and Israel, in a sort of diplomatic dilemma.

India has historically supported the Palestinian cause, and its statements have always referred to East Jerusalem as being the capital of an independent Palestinian state. Earlier this year, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on India's support for an independent Palestinian state in a joint statement but did not mention East Jerusalem.

Since 1992, New Delhi's ties with Tel Aviv have been steadily warming and this year, PM Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel.

Shock, Criticism at Trump’s Decision to Shift US Embassy to Jerusalem

BY THE WIRE STAFF ON 0 7/1 2/ 2 01 7 • 1 COMME NT

48 https://thewire.in/202578/shock-criticism-trumps-decision-shift-us-embassy-jerusalem/ India’s response was muted, with no reiteration of its long standing position on East Jerusalem being the future capital of Palestine.

Protests break out in Palestine after President Trump’s announcement of moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. (Credit: Mohammed Salem, Reuters) New Delhi: United States president Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that the US embassy will be shifted to Jerusalem following his government’s official recognition of the holy city as Israel’s capital – a move greeted by a chorus of criticism from across the world. India’s official response, issued on Thursday morning, was relatively muted compared to Washington’s European and Arab allies. “India’s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country,” said MEA spokesperson Ravish Kumar. There was no reiteration of the long-held position that East Jerusalem was the capital of a future state of Palestine.

Standing in the White House Diplomatic Reception room with Vice President Mike Pence behind him, Trump said that “today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital”. “However, through all of these years, presidents representing the United States have declined to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In fact, we have declined to acknowledge any Israeli capital at all. But today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.” Trump claimed that his decision would not impact the US commitment to peace. “This decision is not intended, in any way, to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians,” he said. Amidst protests, a question mark over ‘two state solution’ Reactions came in fast and quick. Protests broke out immediately in Gaza on Wednesday, with Al-Jazeera reporting that hundreds of Palestinians have taken to the streets. There were also demonstrations in Istanbul, Lebanon and Jordan, with security alerts issued for Americans embassies and citizens across the region. Saeb Erekat, Palestine’s top peace negotiator, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that “the two state solution was over” and that now Palestinians will strive for “one state”. The Palestinian group Hamas announced that Trump had “opened the gates of hell”. The two state solution is the idea of Israel and Palestine as separate states, each with its own sovereign territory – the goal that the international community has backed and the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships have endorsed ever since the Oslo accords. ‘One state’ means the creation of a unified democratic state in the territory of undivided Palestine as it existed before 1948, with equal rights for Jews and Arabs, including the right of refugees to return to homes from which they were expelled in 1948. Germany reiterated that the status of Jerusalem cannot be “pre-judged”, while France said that the move “contradicted” international law and “ignored” UN Security Council resolutions. Within the US, there was criticism from the Democrats while Republicans praised the move.

The European Commission was quick off the mark to “express serious concern” and noted that the EU’s position “remained unchanged”. UK’s secretary of state foreign and commonwealth affairs Boris Johnson said that London did not agree with Trump, but also tried to put a gloss on the differences by claiming the US president had now committed himself to the two-state solution. It was deep in the night in Moscow and Beijing when the announcement was made by Trump, but both capitals had previously expressed concern about the imminent decision. Noting that China supported East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, a Chinese spokesperson had said on Wednesday morning in Beijing that all parties should “avoid impacting on the long-standing basis for the settlement of the Palestinian issue or triggering new rivalry in the region”. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres described Jerusalem as a “final status issue” and noted that there was “no alternative to two state solution”.

Why Jerusalem matters Trump on Wednesday also ordered the State Department to “begin preparation to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem” with the hiring of architects, engineers and planners. The new US embassy in Jerusalem, he stated, “will be a magnificent tribute to peace”. He added that despite shifting the embassy, the US was “not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders”. “Those questions are up to the parties involved,” he added. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem was one of the “most sensitive issues” in the talks between Israel and Palestine, even as he said that he will “do everything in my power to help forge” an agreement acceptable to both sides. The US president said that he will support the two-state solution “if agreed to by both sides”. He had previously stated that the US was not committed to the two-state solution. “In the meantime, I call on all parties to maintain the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, including the Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif,” Trump added. The real estate tycoon-turned politician said that US presidents had been issuing waivers since Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy act in 1995 which mandated the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem. “After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting

51 peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result,” he argued. At the end of his speech, he signed the six-monthly waiver allowed under the act after the president “determines and reports to Congress in advance that such suspension is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States.” Despite affirmations that the US will push for a renewed peace process, Palestinian leaders have made it clear that the Jerusalem announcement essentially meant that Washington was now “disqualified” from playing any role. There was a jubilant welcome from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, as well as the top Jewish-American advocacy groups. Netanyahu described the announcement as a “historic day” for Israel. The largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee tweeted a welcome, minutes after Trump’s announcement. The liberal pro-Israel advocacy organization, J Street, however criticized the announcement as having no benefit. The Trump administration, driven by a strong pro-Israel instinct, had earlier tried to shut down the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s office in Washington, but backtracked after Palestinians threatened to end their role in the peace process. The status of the holy city of Jerusalem – known as Al Quds by the Arabs – is key to West Asia’s longest standing dispute. Held sacred by Muslims, Christians and Jews, Jerusalem has been the target for conquests from the Romans to the Crusaders, the Ottoman empire, the British and now is the centre of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In 1947, the United Nations created Israel through a partition plan which allowed for the City of Jerusalem to be governed by a “special international regime”. The Arab states rejected the UN’s partition plan. A day after Israel officially announced its independence in 1948, conflict broke out with a coalition of Arab states. After 10 months of fighting, Israel signed armistice agreements which allowed it to occupy territory allocated under UNGA resolution 181, but also West Jerusalem. In 1950, the first Israeli parliament announced that Jerusalem “was, and had always been, the capital of Israel.”

Jerusalem became a divided city, the western half with Israel, and Jordan administering the eastern part, which also included the old city that housed Haram al-Sharif, also known as the Temple Mount. The 1967 war led to Israel seizing Jordan’s portion of Jerusalem – but its illegal occupation was never recognized internationally. Thirteen years later, Israel parliament passed a law declaring the “complete and united” Jerusalem to be the country’s capital city. Palestinians have equally strong emotions for the ancient city, with East Jerusalem declared as the capital city of their future independent state. The status of the city is so contentious that all previous efforts – from the 1978 Camp David accords to the Oslo Peace Process in the ‘nineties – had postponed talks on Jerusalem to the ‘final’ negotiations. In 2000, talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat in Camp David broke down over the jurisdiction of tunnels under the Western Wall. That same year, the then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon led a group of lawmakers to the Temple Mount complex, which triggered the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Till now, the US had always maintained that the resolution of the Jerusalem question would be a part of negotiations between the stakeholders of the dispute. Though there is an American consulate there, a reflection of the US position on the “international” status of Jerusalem was that Americans born in the holy city could not list Israel as the place of birth in their passports. While the White House has maintained this position over the years, Congress, dominated by Republicans, has opposed it. After the 1995 Embassy Act, US lawmakers in 2002 again passed a law for shifting the embassy, as well as ordering the State Department to allow the listing of Israel in passports for Americans born in Jerusalem. US President George W. Bush signed the law, but refused to implement it – with his successor, Barack Obama taking the same position. The Act was also legally challenged, with the US Supreme Court striking down the Congressional law on listing Israel. Earlier on Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would cut funding for Palestine if the government continued to give money to militants and their families. What’s driving Trump’s position

Trump had claimed that his announcement was fulfilment of a campaign promise. With most of his domestic agenda in tatters, especially his repeal of Obamacare, observers asserted that the move was largely to appeal to his core base of evangelical Christians. Further, in April this year, Politico reported that Trump’s biggest donor, Sheldon Adelson had “expressed frustration” over the delay in relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. According to analysts in the US media, both secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defense secretary Jim Mattis opposed the Jerusalem shifting, while permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley was in favour. The Washington Post quoted anonymous “senior advisors” as saying that Trump “did not seem to have a full understanding of the issue and instead appeared to be focused on “seeming pro- Israel,” in the words of one, and “making a deal,” in the words of another. Brookings’ Shibley Telhami, however, disagreed that Trump was trying to pander to his base, seeing the move as part of the administration’s geopolitical strategy. “Trump certainly doesn’t need to solidify his pro-Israel credentials; three of his key Middle East advisers are known to be sympathetic with the Israeli right. More importantly, the American public, including his Republican core, already thinks his policy is pro-Israel,” he wrote on a blog for the Washington- based think-tank. He noted that Trump – and his advisors – may already have given up on pushing for peace in the Middle East and “were looking for ways to pin the blame on someone else”. Further, he believed that Trump’s allies in Saudi Arabia will limit their statements to “lip service, as they are all interested in protecting relations with Trump over more urgent issues, such as fighting militancy and confronting Iran”. Though Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is ostensibly leading the push for a new Mid-East peace process, there was no response from him on the Jerusalem announcement on Wednesday. The New York Times had earlier reported that the new peace plan – which envisages a very limited Palestinian state – had been formulated in consultation with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and Israelis have been increasingly drawing closer to combat the perceived expanding influence of Iran.

During his speech, Trump announced that Pence would be travelling soon to the region to “reaffirm our commitment to work with partners throughout the Middle East to defeat radicalism that threatens the hopes and dreams of future generations”. Anger on the Arab street The US will be seeking the support of partners to “defeat radicalism” while the region will be roiling from the announcement. Nearly all Arab states – from Saudi Arabia to Jordan – had already cautioned Trump against the move in the run-up to the announcement. Following the announcement on Wednesday, the Arab League has called for an emergency meeting on Saturday, based on a request from Palestine and Jordan. There was a barrage of criticism from Arab states, with the Saudi foreign ministry expressing regret and terming it an “irresponsible” step, while Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi implicitly cautioned that Trump’s move could fuel further extremism. Turkish President Recep Erdogan was on the phone to call upon Muslim countries to “come together to display joint action and coordination”, while his foreign minister described the Jerusalem announcement as “irresponsible”. Turkey also called for a meeting of OIC countries, with Erdogan speaking to the leaders of Qatar, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. “Jerusalem is our honour, our common cause, and as Mr. President said yesterday, it is our red line,” Turkish presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on Wednesday. New Delhi not only issued a rather mild response on Washington’s move, but notably had chosen not to echo the dire warnings emanating from world capitals publicly warning Washington against taking the step in the run-up to the announcement on Wednesday. India’s stand under strain India’s position, articulated frequently till a few years ago, had been in support of a sovereign and united Palestine “with east Jerusalem as its capital”. In line with other countries, India’s embassy is based in Tel Aviv. An example of the traditional stance was India’s intervention at the 2012 meeting of the NAM committee on Palestine: “India supports a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its Capital, living within secure and recognized borders,

55 side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and UNSC Resolutions 1397 & 1515. In addition, we have also supported the Arab Peace Initiative. [External Affairs Minister, Tehran, August 2012]” Under Prime Minister Modi, India has ushered in a more visible partnership with Israel, even as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asserted that there was no change in India’s traditional support for the “Palestinian cause” after she tried to stop a parliamentary debate. While India had voted in favour of a UNHRC resolution in 2014 instituting a probe against Israel, New Delhi abstainedwhen the UN body voted on ‘war crimes’ by Israel under operation Protective Edge in Gaza. India has since abstained in subsequent resolutions against Israel at the UN. Similarly, India shifted position in another UN body. In April 2016, it voted in favour of a resolution at UNESCO which Israel claimed did not recognize the Jewish heritage of Jerusalem. But, six months later, India abstained and again repeated the same voting pattern in May 2017. However, at the end of his visit to Israel and Palestine in October 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee stated that India was in favour of a “sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and relevant UNSC Resolutions.” This was also stated by Indian vice president Hamid Ansari in his visit to Israel in January 2016. During the same period, India signed onto multilateral documents like the BRICS declarations of 2014, 2015 and 2016which specified a united Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital as an essential component for peace in West Asia. The BRICS special envoys on middle east, who met in Vishakhapatnam in April this year, also reiterated this position, as well as, the desire to contribute on a “bigger scale” towards the peace process. However, the 2017 Xiamen declaration of BRICS did not mention East Jerusalem, but did talk of adherence to relevant UNSC resolutions and support for an “independent, viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian State”. India’s joint statements with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 2016 had also referred to the holy city as being part of the two-state solution. In January 2016, Swaraj went to Bahrain for the first

Arab-India Cooperation forum. The Manama declaration’s first item on regional issues was on Palestine. Four months later, India signed another document – this time, along with Russia and China – which referred to East Jerusalem as the future Palestinian capital. This stand has not, however, been articulated by the Indian political leadership lately. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a statement while standing next to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in May 2017, he made no reference to East Jerusalem. Abbas had been specifically invited to India ahead of Modi’s visit to Israel. The invitation had been made as Modi was going to break with previous custom and not visit both Israel and Palestine in the same visit. The joint statement issued at the end of Modi’s visit to Israel did not again refer to the two-state solution. Following the omission of East Jerusalem in the Indian Prime Minister’s statement in May, a scholar of India-Israeli relations, JNU’s P R Kumaraswamy claimed that the absence was deliberated and signaled a “major departure from the past”. On Thursday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned Trump’s announcement and demanded that “the Modi government come out strongly disapproving of the US action, as it goes against India’s longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause.”

With Trump’s Jerusalem Move Setting Off Violent Ripples, Palestine Looks to India for Stronger Statement BY DEVIRUPA MITRA ON 07/12/2017 • 2 COMMENTS

HTTPS://THEWIRE.IN/202837/PALESTINIAN-AMBASSADOR-HOPES-STRONGER-STATEMENT- INDIA/ India’s statement did not directly refer to the two-state solution or East Jerusalem, which is India’s traditional position on Palestine – and it was noticed.

Palestinians in Gaza burn signs depicting Israeli and US flags during protest against US intention to move its embassy to Jerusalem. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem New Delhi: After India issued a conspicuously muted response to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Palestinian ambassador Adnan Mohammad Jaber Abualhayjaa hoped that New Delhi will issue another statement to spell out its “attitude” on the middle-east process, as well as, to reiterate the position of eastern half of the city as capital of independent Palestine. On Wednesday, Trump announced a reversal a decades of US policy by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordering the re-location of the embassy from Tel Aviv. While Israel

58 and most American lawmakers welcomed the decision, there was strong disapproval articulated from all world capitals, including close US allies in Europe and Gulf. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar issued a brief statement on Thursday morning. “India’s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country,” he said. The statement did not directly refer to the two-state solution or East Jerusalem, which is India’s traditional position on Palestine – and it was noticed. “I think this is not the statement. They (India) have said that they are not connected to any third party. But, we are expecting the government of India to make statement and to announce their attitude towards Jerusalem as one of the last issue to be negotiated between the Palestinians and the Israelis,” Palestinian envoy Abualhayjaa told The Wire. He added, “Normally, Indians in all their statements recognise East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state because it is part of the 1967 occupied land”. Abualhayjaa noted that there was “big condemnation” even before the announced made by Trump from countries in Arab world, France, Britain, Sweden, Turkey and Norway. “They have spoken to Mr Trump and tried to advice him that not to take this step as it will impact the peace process,” he said. India was notably silent in the run-up to the announcement, even as there was a slew of statements from nearly all world capitals expressing concern from Beijing, London, Paris to Riyadh. With the move to Jerusalem, the Palestinian diplomat told The Wire that “US has withdrawn from playing a role that they have playing for the last decade as a peace broker.” When pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not mentioned East Jerusalem in his media statement during the visit of Palestinian president, he noted that it had been mentioned in various Arab-Indian conferences and declarations. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s intervention at the Nam committee meeting in September this year did not mention Jerusalem, but Abualhayjaa asserted that it had re-affirmed “the two-state solution and support the Palestinian people”.

He noted that this support for the “Palestinian cause” had been repeated in the Modi’s message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 25. “I think India will keep their positive attitude to the two-state solution, including Jerusalem as one of the last issues to be negotiated and case for two states”. While he is optimistic, he would still like it to be articulated again by India in the context of yesterday’s White House announcement. “Normally, government of India delay a little bit in their statement, so we are expecting them to make statement today or tomorrow. I hope that they will make statement – a stronger statement – to affirm their attitude towards the peace process in the middle-east and mention East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state,” said Abualhayjaa, who has been Palestinian ambassador to India since September 2014. When asked whether he will convey this personally to Indian establishment, he said, “We will be trying our best to meet (Indian) high level officials”. Talks were on for a Palestine visit by the Indian prime minister after he skipped Ramallah during his Israel trip this year. The Palestinian envoy told Rajya Sabha TV that he was informed by his Indian interlocutors that the visit was a “reaction to what has happened”.

India’s position had been in support of a sovereign and united Palestine “with east Jerusalem as its capital”. In line with the rest of the international community, India’s embassy was based in Tel Aviv. India supports a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its Capital, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and UNSC Resolutions 1397 & 1515. In addition, we have also supported the Arab Peace Initiative. The above statement was made by S.M. Krishna at the 2012 ministerial meeting of the Non- Aligned Movement’s committee on Palestine, in whose establishment India had been a key actor. That same year, India had co-sponsored a resolution in the UN General Assembly to make Palestine a ‘non-member state’. In September 2015, India backed the resolution allowing the raising of Palestinian flag at UN premises.

Modi ushered in a more visible partnership with Israel, even as external affairs minister Swaraj asserted that there was no change in India’s traditional support for “Palestinian cause” after she stopped a parliamentary resolution over the Gaza conflict in July 2014. While India had voted in favour of a UNHRC resolution in 2014 instituting a probe against Israel, New Delhi abstained a year later in Geneva. India has since abstained in subsequent resolutions against Israel in the UN. India similarly shifted position in another UN body. In April 2016, India voted in favour of a resolution in UNESCO which Israel claimed did not recognise the Jewish heritage of Jerusalem. But, six months later, India abstained and again repeated the same voting pattern in May 2017.

Palestinians react during a protest against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 6, 2017. Credit: Reuters However, at the end of his visit to Israel and Palestine in October 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee stated that India was in favour of a “sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognised borders, side

61 by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and relevant UNSC Resolutions.” This was also stated by Indian vice president Hamid Ansari in his visit to Israel in January 2016. During the same period, India signed onto multilateral documents like the BRICS declarations of 2014, 2015 and 2016which specified a united Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital as an essential component for peace in West Asia. The BRICS special envoys on middle east, who met in Vishakhapatnam in April this year, also reiterated this position, as well as, the desire to contribute on a “bigger scale” towards the peace process. However, the 2017 Xiamen declaration of BRICS did not mention East Jerusalem, but did talk of adherence to relevant UNSC resolutions and support for an “independent, viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian State”. India had also been signatory to the Declaration on Palestine at Asian African Commemorative Conference in Bandung in April 2015 which also spoke about an Independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. India’s joint statements with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 2016 had also referred to the holy city as being part of the two-state solution. In January 2016, Swaraj went to Bahrain for the first Arab-India Cooperation forum. The Manama declaration’s first item on regional issues was on the Palestinian issue. Affirming the need to achieve a comprehensive and permanent solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of the international legitimacy resolutions, especially UN Security Council resolutions 242 of 1976 and 338 of 1973, the relevant UN resolutions, Madrid Peace conference of 1991 and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative in Beirut, in implementation of the two-state principle on the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestine State with East Jerusalem as its capital, living peace side by side with the State of Israel on the 1967 borders, within secure and recognized boundaries. Calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian “Arab” territories it seized in 1967 and dismantle all the settlements built there including the settlements erected in the occupied East Jerusalem on the basis that, according to the international Law, they are illegal and illegitimate. Calling on Israel to release all the Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees from its jails, halt the aggressions and crimes being committed by the Israeli settlers against the civilian Palestinians, work on providing International Protection for the Palestinian people and put an

62 end to all the procedures that aim to alter the legal status of East Jerusalem with the aim of changing its nature, identity and Arab culture along with the attempts to change the existing historical status of the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, which all represent clear violations of the International Law, relevant UN resolutions, the four Geneva conventions. Four months later, India signed another document – this time with Russia and China – which referred to East Jerusalem as the future Palestinian capital. This has not, however, been articulated by the Indian political leadership lately. When Modi made a statement while standing next to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in May 2017 – there was no reference to Jerusalem. The relationship between India and Palestine is built on the foundation of long-standing solidarity and friendship since the days of our own freedom struggle. India has been unwavering in its support of the Palestinian cause. And, we hope to see the realization of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel. I have reaffirmed our position on this to President Abbas during our conversation today. Abbas had been specifically invited to India ahead of Modi’s visit to Israel. The invitation had been made as Modi was going to break with past custom and not visit both Israel and Palestine in the same visit. In a paper for the Delhi-based think tank Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s P. R. Kumaraswamy claimed that the absence of East Jerusalem from Modi’s media statement was deliberate and signalled a “major departure from the past”. The Indian prime minister did not visit the contested areas in Jerusalem, but his host, Netanyahu pointed out Temple Mount from the window of Hotel David. The joint communique issued at the end of Modi’s visit to Israel was silent on the two-state solution. The two prime ministers discussed the developments pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. They underlined the need for the establishment of a just and durable peace in the region. They reaffirmed their support for an early negotiated solution between the sides based on mutual recognition and security arrangements. [India-Israel joint statement, 2017] In New York, Swaraj took part in the NAM ministerial meeting on Palestine along the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. She said that India’s commitment to the Palestinian cause can “never be undermined”. In contrast to the 2012 ‘intervention’, Swaraj

63 again did not make a verbatim reference to the previous Indian position on UNSC resolutions on Palestine or the boundaries and capital of an independent Palestinian state. The latest Indian statement from Modi last month was also along the same contours – only alluding support for a “sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, coexisting peacefully with Israel”. Unlike India’s response which did not mention East Jerusalem, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang specifically referred to the status of the holy city at the regular media briefing in Beijing. “China firmly supports the peace process in the Middle East, supports the handling of the Middle East issue including the status of Jerusalem in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, and supports the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital. China calls on all parties to uphold their objective and fair stance and make efforts for restarting the negotiations between Palestine and Israel as soon as possible so as to maintain regional peace and stability,” he said. British prime minister Theresa May (probably US’s closest foreign ally), publicly disagreed with the decision by Trump. She also articulated UK’s “long-standing” position that status of Jerusalem “should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states”. “In line with relevant Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” May added. Russia pointed out that Moscow has traditionally supported West Jerusalem as capital of Israel, but it has not tried to change the status-quo by taking unilateral action. “In practical terms, our Embassy can be moved from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem after the Palestinians and the Israelis agree on all issues of the final status of the Palestinian territories. By recognising West Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, we do not impose any solutions on the parties. Those, including the future status of Jerusalem, should be agreed upon in the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations,” said Russian ambassador to Israel, Alexander Shein. Saudi Arabia expressed “great disappointment” over Trump’s announcement. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the royal court said the Kingdom had previously warned

64 of the serious consequences of such an “irresponsible and unwarranted step.” Saudi King Salman warned Trump that the move a “dangerous step” that could rile Muslims worldwide. Israel has welcomed Trump’s decision with open arms, with President Reuven Rivlin describing it as a “beautiful gift” to mark Israel’s 70 years of existence, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed it as a “historic day”.

What Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital Means for the Middle East

BY SPYROS SOFOS AND VITTORIO FELCI ON 09/12/2017 • 1 COMMENT https://thewire.in/203497/jerusalem-palestine-us-embassy-capital-tel-aviv-middle-east- tension/ Trump’s announcement has the potential of not only affecting the political ecology of a place where history is a matter of life and death, but could also cause a ripple effect much further afield.

Protests break out in Palestine after President Trump’s announcement of moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Salem

Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and start preparations for the US to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city, has the potential to further inflame tensions across the Middle East. Although this is not an unexpected move – Trump expressed his intention to do so during his electoral campaign – the decision breaks with years of precedent. Trump’s decision to move the embassy means he will not follow his predecessors by renewing a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which required the embassy to eventually be moved from Tel Aviv. Since then, there has been a cross-party consensus in the US that any act which recognises the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel and its designation as the country’s capital would affect the fragile balance of power in the Middle East–and the ability of the US to promote its interests in the region. US diplomats have sought to tread carefully on this issue in one of the world’s most treacherous political landscapes. The Palestinian leadership condemned the move before Trump spoke, as did leaders from the Arab world and beyond. The announcement of the embassy move is likely to cause a wave of resentment among Palestinians in the occupied territories and the city itself, especially after two decades of stalemate in the peace process and deteriorating conditions throughout the Palestinian territories. Ahead of the speech, US citizens and government employees were told to avoid Jerusalem’s Old City and the West Bank until further notice. Central to the peace process Jerusalem is not just a city of historical importance to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but also a site key to both Israeli and Palestinian identity. Add to this the centrality of the status of Jerusalem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often described as one of the world’s most intractable disputes, and it’s clear why the decision to move the US embassy there has been described as tantamount to political arson. At the political level, most Israelis and Palestinians insist that Jerusalem must be the capital of their states, present and future, and that this is non-negotiable. This is why the final status of Jerusalem was deemed to be one of the thorniest issues in the Oslo peace process in the 1990s. It was envisaged to be circumnavigated, dealt with only at the stage of “permanent status

66 negotiations”, once all other issues between the state of Israel and the Palestinians were resolved. As there has not been any progress in less important, yet substantive issues since Oslo, the issue of Jerusalem has acquired a symbolic importance among Palestinians. Jerusalem is a city dense in symbolism in the Palestinian national imagination. Particularly so as other, more material anchors of identity such as territory, governance and self-determination are continually being eroded by the harsh realities of Israeli occupation, the blockade of Gaza and deteriorating cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. The response to Trump’s announcement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his government was muted. But its symbolic value among nationalist circles in Israel, and also among many ordinary Israelis, should not be underestimated. The Israeli government has been active in strengthening Israeli claims to the entire city since its annexation in 1980. Settlement building around Jerusalem has aimed to ring-fence the city and integrate it more into Israel. Meanwhile, there were building restrictions in East Jerusalem, and a series of restrictions to Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, built on the remnants of the last Jewish Temple. Both sets of restrictions were lifted. Equally important in terms of symbolic politics has been Israel’s archaeological intervention around Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as an attempt to strengthen Israel’s historical connection with the city. Wider significance Trump’s decision seems oblivious to the fragility of coexistence in the city between its Israeli and Palestinian inhabitants. It also ignores the significance of Jerusalem in Palestinian national identity and national aspirations, and the devastating impact on the future of a moribund peace process. It has the potential of not only affecting the political ecology of a place where history is a matter of life and death, but could also cause a ripple effect much further afield. It can destabilise a Palestinian authority already deprived of legitimacy and an array of fragile Arab regimes. And it is likely to accentuate the enmity between Israel and Iran. Iran perceives such a move as a “violation of Islamic sanctities” and, together with Trump’s revitalised alliance with Saudi Arabia, a clear sign of the US president’s anti-Iranian stance.

Last but not least, it could further stoke the flames of anti-Western Islamic movements in the Muslim world and the West alike, which have always put Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue in a central position. Spyros Sofos is researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University. Vittorio Felci is researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University.

UN resolution on Jerusalem: Arab world seeks India's support https://www.thequint.com/news/hot-news/un-resolution-on-jerusalem-arab-world-seeks-india- s-support New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Arab nations here have sought India's support ahead of a rare emergency UN General Assembly session on Thursday that will vote over Jerusalem being recognised by the US as the capital of Israel. Diplomatic sources here told IANS that representatives of the Arab diplomatic community have met senior officials of the External Affairs Ministry seeking New Delhi's support in Thursday's crucial vote. The latest development followed 18 Arab Ambassadors' meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar last week to seek India's support in this regard. The emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly on Thursday will take up Trump's decision on Jerusalem after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution criticising it. General Assembly President Miroslav lajcak is convening the special session at the request of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab Group at the UN, his spokesperson Brenden Varma told reporters at the UN headquarters on Tuesday. On Monday, US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley vetoed the Security Council resolution introduced by Egypt seeking to express "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem" and asking other countries to not follow Washington and move their embassies to the city considered holy by Jews, Christians and Muslims. All the other 14 members of the Council voted for the resolution.

Unlike in the Council, there is no veto in the Assembly and a resolution criticising the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy there is expected to pass easily because even Washington's allies broke ranks with it and supported the Egyptian resolution. Technically, Thursday's meeting is a continuation of the emergency special session that last met in 2009, Varma said. Its theme is "Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory", and it first convened in 1997, he added. Unlike the regular annual sessions of the Assembly which end after a year, an emergency special session can continue indefinitely and be reconvened periodically even after a gap of several years. Following US President Donald Trump's statement recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement: "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country." Trump's announcement came ahead of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu's expected visit to India early next year. (Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at [email protected]) --IANS

O Jerusalem! Trump Crosses the Rubicon

PINAK RANJAN CHAKRAVARTY09.12.17 https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/trump-jerusalem-decision-affect-on-arab-world-peace-process

In a stunning reversal of American policy, US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and shift the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. By this volte face, Trump has again underlined his role as

69 a leader who revels in taking crucial foreign policy decisions that rock the international consensus. Also Read: Israel & Palestine to Decide Jerusalem’s Final Status: Tillerson Trump had earlier sent shockwaves by exiting the Climate Change Agreement, FTA agreements like the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) and the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). He has tried to undercut the nuclear deal with Iran and has succeeded in tightening immigration rules for selected Muslim countries. Has Trump Pushed the Region Towards Chaos? As a sop, Trump did not take any position on other final status issues like return of Palestinian refugees, finalisation of borders and vowed to do everything in his power to forge a peace deal. In a balancing move, Trump reiterated his support for a two-state solution and his decision will not affect the final status which remains to be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians as part of a final peace agreement.

America’s European allies are unlikely to support Trump’s decision which has added more fuel to the fires already raging in the volatile West Asian region. It will be seen as another anti- Muslim move and will be projected as such. USA’s Arab allies will be squirming. Iran and her allies will be preparing to leverage the anti-American wave that has begun to sweep across the Arab world. The Chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, condemned Trump’s decision as having “destroyed any possibility of peace” and was “pushing this region towards chaos [and] violence”.

UN General Assembly: Barometer of Global Opinion Global reaction has been consistently adverse, including from the USA’s European allies. As for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, this decision has thrown him a lifeline while he is embroiled in corruption cases. A UNSC meeting called to discuss this issue is unlikely to achieve anything, in view of the USA's veto power.

It is in the General Assembly of the UN that a resolution will probably be passed condemning the American decision. Though non-binding, an Assembly resolution is a barometer of global opinion.

India’s reaction has been low-key, basically reiterating its longstanding position and asserting that third party actions will not influence India’s decision. Significantly, the official Indian statement also asserts that “it is shaped by our views and interests”. India Can’t Go Trump’s Way In essence, India will not support Trump’s decision and stick to its traditional stand of supporting a two-state solution within secure borders, with East Jerusalem as the Capital of Palestine. Notwithstanding India’s growing strategic ties with the USA and close relations with Israel, India cannot go down the road that Trump has chosen.

India has successfully navigated the minefield of the Arab-Israeli divide for more than two-and- a-half decades. Today, India has excellent relations with all Arab countries and regional powers, Iran and Israel. This is no mean achievement and is a clear recognition of the fact that the countries of West Asia value India’s role. India’s stake in the Arab world, particularly in the oil-rich Gulf countries is substantial and there is no compelling reason for India to digress from its traditional policy on Jerusalem.

It is unlikely that India’s position will have any impact on the growing ties with either the USA or Israel. India’s balanced policy in the West Asian region is well understood and appreciated. India has had differences with the USA and Israel over many issues but as mature democracies these are handled as part and parcel of bilateral relations with these two and other countries. India will certainly vote against this move in the UN. Extremist Islamic Outfits Riled Up Hamas, regarded as a terrorist organisation by both Israel and the USA, remains in control of the Gaza strip. It will now find renewed support among Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, though at loggerheads with the Hamas, will now find common ground on this issue. Hamas has appealed for another uprising or “Intifada”.

Extremist Islamic outfits have called for terrorist strikes against the USA and Hezbollah has demanded that all Arab and Muslim countries sever ties with the USA. Islamic countries will project this as an affront to the Muslims and the Christians too will find it unpalatable. The Pope has spoken out against it. The international community had got used to the default position on the status of Jerusalem – ie its legal status will be decided when peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians finally conclude. The UN partition plan of 1948 had kept Jerusalem an international city. East Jerusalem was under Jordanian rule, till its capture by Israeli forces in 1967. West Jerusalem has been with Israel since 1948. Because of the disputed nature of the city, all foreign embassies in Israel are located in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Only two embassies are located in Jerusalem apart from consulates. Will Trump’s Decision De-escalate Peace Process? Trump’s decision seems to be payback to his Christian evangelist supporters and the Jewish lobby, which funded his election campaign lavishly. Trump has tried to justify his decision by saying it was merely recognition of an existing reality. For all practical purposes, West Jerusalem has functioned as the seat of Israeli government since 1948. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestine. This decision will make any American role, as a peace-broker, hugely suspect in the eyes of Palestinians. Will this decision help revive the peace process? Very unlikely, if the Trump administration is basically falling in line with Israel’s stated objective of making the whole of Jerusalem as its eternal capital and giving the Palestinians some limited autonomy – in truncated territorial areas which are no longer contiguous. Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land for building Israeli settlements in occupied territories has made a viable Palestinian state almost impossible. Arab and Muslim countries will find it politically unacceptable to acquiesce in such an arrangement and the Arab-Israeli divide is sure to endure for decades to come. (The author is a Distinguished Fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy in Israel. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

Why is India So keen to support Israel? America has to withdraw the declaration it made" -- these were the last words of Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29 before he was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Apoorva Gautam 26 Dec 2017 https://newsclick.in/why-india-so-keen-support-israel

“This land is our land. We are not going to give up. America has to withdraw the declaration it made" -- these were the last words of Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29 before he was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. With a Palestinian flag in his hand on December 15, Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was taking part in the protests against Donald Trump’s declaration to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He was killed after being shot in the head by an Israeli sniper. Ibrahim had lost his legs in 2008, during an Israeli air raid on Al-Bureji refugee camp in Gaza, but with his activism he had become one of the symbol of Palestinian resistance. Since Trump’s declaration, Israeli military is on a renewed killing spree in Gaza. Gaza, an open- air prison, has survived three massacres in the last decade, along with regular raids and attacks by Israeli military. Unfortunately, it seem Indian government is keen to replicate this ‘system’. Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh, during his 2014 visit to one of the outposts of Gaza, was “greatly impressed ” by the system deployed by Israel in Gaza to maintain this caging, isolation and denial of fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. This is the ‘system’ India wishes to import and deploy on its western border- the same ‘system’ that facilitated the murder of Thurayeh and three others last Friday. This banal cruelty sums up Indian state’s response to Trump’s recent declaration and the protests that have followed it. In wake of Trump’s declaration, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution declaring the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital ‘null and void ’. The resolution was passed with a huge majority of 128 member states supporting, despite the intimidations of US President

Trump. This goes on to highlight the growing isolation of the US over this decision and states standing up for principles of human rights and international law despite such crude blackmail. Expressing their solidarity and support to the people of Palestine, South Africa’s ruling party African National Congress (ANC) unanimously decided to downgrade the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office. As the whole world firmly stands with Palestine, why is India maintaining a silence? The Indian establishment has observed a “deafening silence’ ’, with a vague two-line statement by Ministry of External Affairs that says, “India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country.” Even though India voted in favour of the UN resolution on Jerusalem, it seems the decision was more to do with not running into any diplomatic embarrassment. It is simply illegal to support Israel-US on Jerusalem decision, as Jerusalem is under the principle of corpus separatum and through a series of UN resolutions and is not under Israeli sovereignty. Further, East Jerusalem has been under Israel’s occupation since 1967. Then why is India so keen to support Israel when, at this point, it means standing in opposition to the rest of the world. Not standing with Palestine is to stand with all of these crimes and human rights violations. This decision would also pave way for more illegal Israeli settlements, more destruction, dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. And it is not pragmatic to have such proximity with Israel: India’s proximity with Israel isolates it from most of its neighbours and geopolitical hinterland and may even affect its trade and investment possibilities with its main economic partners. India’s growing support for Israel is symptomatic of its own right-ward shift. Under the new regime in India, freedom and dissent have taken a serious toll. Anti-minority hate crimes have increased significantly with mob lynchings going unpunished. Recently in December, a Muslim family was driven out of their homes in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh as Hindutva groups, including BJP’s youth wing, were advocating against living next to them. In Satna, Madhya Pradesh, Christmas carol singers were attacked by Hindutva mobs, a priest’s car burnt and the singers were taken into custody by the police. In active and tacit ways, the Indian establishment is allowing an atmosphere of fear and hatred to prevail.

Being driven out of their homes or being denied worship is something both Palestinian Muslims and Christians alike know very well. Palestinian Christians live only a stone's throw away from the holy places in Jerusalem and are not allowed to go there. There is an ideological plank that brings Israel and today’s India together- a matter of concern for everyone. It is urgent for us to revive people’s movement that challenges this ideological collaboration. When there are popular protests across the world against Trump’s decision and Israel’s growing belligerence, India will be welcoming Benjamin Netanyahu on a state visit in January 2018. Also when the international community is refusing to change the status of Jerusalem, an Indian company, Texmaco, is planning to collaborate on an Israeli rail project which runs through East Jerusalem in violation of Fourth Geneva Convention. In 2005, 170 Palestinian unions, political parties, refugee networks, women’s organizations and other civil society bodies launched the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The movement urges for non-violent pressure on Israel till it complies with international law. One of the inspirations for this movement was the Indian anti-colonial movement. The BDS , along with the people of Palestine is attempting to take the Palestinian resistance to a global level. Let us stand with Palestine and oppose this Indian government’s ‘silent’ endorsement of Israel’s regime occupation, colonization and apartheid. We have to make sure Netanyahu hears it loud and clear that the Indian people oppose export of Israel’s apartheid technology to India. We must reject the collaboration of Indian institutions and corporations with Israeli occupation and colonisation. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of Newsclick.

Explaining India’s UN Vote on Jerusalem India voted in favor of the UNGA resolution on Jerusalem despite its bonhomie with the U.S. and Israel. By Shairee Malhotra December 28, 2017 https://thediplomat.com/2017/12/explaining-indias-un-vote-on-jerusalem/ In a major diplomatic setback to the United States and President Donald Trump, 128 countries voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution rejecting U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This included India, which voted against the United States and carried forward New Delhi’s principled position on the issue – a month before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to India. India’s vote is significant and interesting for a number of reasons. India, in line with its Nehruvian-era foreign policy principles of Third World Solidarity and non- violence, has historically been an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause. Despite recognizing the state of Israel in 1950, India only established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992, notwithstanding Israel’s fervent courting of India over the years. However, despite India’s reticence in embracing Israel owing to its strong links with Arab states and its large domestic Muslim population, covert cooperation, especially in the realms of security and defense, continued on a large scale. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. Given India’s emergence on the global stage as a powerful international actor, Indian foreign policy has shifted from normative posturing in favor of pragmatism and self-interest-based action. The changing international landscape following the end of the Cold War, and India’s shift from the periphery to the center of the international system, have been instrumental in this. India’s careful and delicate balancing act is nowhere more evident than in the theater of the volatile Middle East. The Middle East is an important region for India’s commercial, security, energy, and diplomatic interests. India’s 2016-2017 trade with Arab countries, at $121 billion, accounts for 18.25 percent of India’s total trade, while its trade with Israel, at $5 billion, accounts for less

76 than 1 percent of total trade. India has robust commercial, security, and defense ties with Israel, while Arab states are important sources of remittances, employment, and energy. Recent context — including India’s bonhomie with Israel, its U.S. pivot, and an NDA government, led by the BJP, that often panders to Hindutva designs — meant that there was a high possibility of India abstaining from the UNGA vote. In fact, while traditionally voting in favor of Palestine at the UN, India had abstained from the UNHRC vote against Israel in 2015, marking the first official signs of a shift in policy. India has also recently attempted to moderate the Non-Aligned Movement’s (NAM) anti-Israel resolutions. Moreover, during Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent visit to India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s support to the Palestinian cause, stating that “there should be a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel” but crucially omitting “with East Jerusalem as its capital” – a phrase that always trailed any Indian statement on the issue in the past. Meanwhile, Modi’s vigorous and confident diplomacy saw in July 2017 the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Israel. However, India has been equally active in ensuring its diplomatic impression in the Arab world. Preceding his Israel visit, Modi pragmatically pursued a thorough engagement with the Arab world by visiting Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, inviting the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations, and warmly receiving Abbas. This laid the groundwork for his Israel visit, while alleviating possible damage and making the visit less controversial both within India and the region. India’s vote in favor of the UNGA resolution espouses that, while it has shed its inhibitions in publicly engaging Israel, it has not abandoned its support for the Palestinian cause and the two- state solution. India’s principled and independent position on the Israel-Palestine issue was reiterated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the NAM Ministerial Meeting on Palestine during this year’s UNGA session in New York. Preceding the vote, Arab ambassadors in New Delhi met with officials in the Ministry of External Affairs to convince India to vote in their favor, where India again echoed its independent position. Indeed, Modi, by visiting Israel and not Ramallah on his trip, like most world leaders, has de-hyphenated India’s relations with Israel and Palestine. Through its actions, India has indicated that it deals with its foreign relations in their own right, without worrying about a third party.

While there are those within the country that are opposed to the way India voted on the grounds that India’s pro-Palestinian policy has not garnered a quid pro quo from the Arab world, whereas Israel has often sided with India. Others like Professor P.R. Kumaraswamy believe that India should have “stayed away from the voting to display its opposition to the ‘exclusivist’ approach adopted by both the Israelis and Palestinians.” Either way, considering the broad global consensus surrounding the vote and the “sky is the limit” bonhomie, it is highly unlikely that India’s vote will hamper Indo-Israeli relations, which will continue on an upward swing. Political and sectarian issues within the region have even led countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia to collude with Israel strategically, whilst maintaining their positions on Palestine. Israel’s patience in courting India reveals that it recognizes India’s calculations, regional compulsions, and domestic scenario. India’s vote also reveals another important message: that an anti-Islamic ideology is not the cornerstone of the India-Israeli bonhomie. Pragmatism, rather than blind Hindutva designs, is guiding the present government in its approach to the region. Despite its shift from idealism to pragmatism, India’s erstwhile tradition of following an autonomous foreign policy free from the interference of external powers continues to underpin present day decision making. Unlike staunch American allies — such as Australia, which depends on the United States for its security, and Canada, which is in the process of re- negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) deal with the U.S. – that abstained from the vote, India is on more of an equal footing with Washington and thus less likely to be coerced. India’s principled vote emphasizes its commitment to multilateralism and its consistent opposition to institutionalized discrimination by powers. India has stood its moral ground by not kowtowing to American pressure, thus exhibiting itself as a strong responsible actor within the international system that retains its principled position on international issues. India, with its unique position in terms of its strong ties with Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, can carve out a greater role in overseeing the regional order in West Asia, especially in the context of dwindling American dominance and its efforts to gain its long-coveted permanent seat on the UN Security Council. India must continue to tread this path – expanding its ties with Israel in accordance

78 with its strategic interests, while extending its genuine support for the Palestinian cause – thereby walking a nuanced line on Israel-Palestine and upholding its benign international image. Shairee Malhotra is Associate Researcher at the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) in Brussels, and holds an MA International Relations from Queen Mary University of London.