Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 3 spoke with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and discussed the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The phone call took place days after India abstained on a Jordanian resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) seeking ceasefire which was supported by the UAE. India has been in contact with the UAE over the violence which began on October 7 leading to the death of thousands of civilians including women and children. UAE has condemned Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza.
“Had a good conversation with my brother Mohammed Bin Zayed, President of UAE, on the West Asia situation. We share deep concerns at the terrorism, deteriorating security situation and loss of civilian lives. We agree on the need for early resolution of the security and humanitarian situation and that a durable regional peace, security and stability is in everyone’s interest,” said PM Modi.
Prime Minister Modi has spoken to a number of regional leaders including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas since the conflict began. On October 29, he held a telephonic conversation with the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Apart from that, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has been engaged with the situation on the war front and spoke with Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Bin Farhan and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
UAE’s diplomacy was on display at the UNGA which on October 26 adopted a Jordanian resolution seeking a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution was supported by 40 member states of the UN that included the UAE, a non-permanent member of the UNSC. The resolution was adopted with the support of 120 countries while 14 countries voted against the resolution. Canada attempted an amendment of the resolution as it sought explicit condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks on Israel. Surprisingly, India which has strained ties with Canada over terrorism and Ottawa’s support to pro-Khalistan elements that New Delhi often describes as “terrorists”, sided with Canada’s amendment and abstained on the resolution while not joining the UAE.
PM Modi’s conversation with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed came on a day which was chosen by Sheikh Nasrallah, general secretary of Hezbollah, for his speech on the conflict. In a televised statement that was followed worldwide, leader of the Shiite militant group in Lebanon announced that his fighters had joined the war against Israel on October 8 and warned Tel Aviv against launching a preemptive strike against Lebanon.
India has been evacuating its citizens from Israel since the hostilities between Israel and Hamas began in the Gaza Strip with the dramatic October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. PM Modi was early to condemn the violence which was followed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterating India’s “longstanding” policy on the two-state formula to bring a solution to the Israel-Palestinian crisis. Israel has been demanding that India should declare Hamas as a terror outfit but New Delhi has so far avoided doing that.
According to the MEA, Israel hosts around 18,000 Indian nationals which in comparison to the Gulf, is a much lesser number. The Gulf region has one of the largest concentrations of Indian workers in the world and the rhetoric emanating from Tel Aviv, Teheran, and Beirut have cast a shadow on the long-term safety and security for the nearly six million Indians who reside in the six Gulf states including the UAE. The Israeli leaders have repeatedly blamed Iran for some of their security concerns which has increased the possibility of broadening of the conflict, which may put pressure on India’s citizens working in the Gulf.
