India recently abstained from voting on a UN resolution condemning Israel for possible war crimes in Gaza
In another boost for the growing ties between India and Israel, a senior Indian Foreign Ministry delegation visited Jerusalem Tuesday.
The delegation, which was headed by top bureaucrat Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa, was in Israel for "strategic dialogue" on various issues, according to The Times of Israel.
In a statement released earlier this week, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that "this dialogue expresses the special relationship that developed" between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. "At the heart of the dialogue stand a number of bilateral topics, with an emphasis on diplomatic, economic and development issues," it added.
According to the statement, Wadhwa met with Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold to discuss ways to remove "economic barriers" and improve tourism between the two countries, along with establishing a "Center of Excellence in Agriculture."
Gold was also expected to thank India for its recent abstention from voting on a UN resolution condemning Israel for possible war crimes in Gaza, a move which is being viewed in Israel as a victory for its diplomacy.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described India's abstention as a "significant and unprecedented achievement", noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally reached out to Modi, urging him to abstain.
India, for decades one of the leading forces in the alliance of non-aligned nations which automatically voted against Israel in all international fora, was one of only five countries that abstained on Friday when the UN Human Rights Council voted in favor of adopting the report of the Gaza Conflict Commission of Inquiry.
One Israeli official told The Times of Israel that "much credit for this process belongs to the two prime ministers and our embassy in India."
"We’re indeed witnessing a dramatic change. It shows how India starts seeing itself in a different light — as a world power in the making, which is becoming stronger economically but also deals with the threat of global terrorism. It also shows how they’re distancing themselves from the Non-Aligned Movement and its automatic support for the Palestinian cause. They’re currently in a process of reassessment."
The Palestinian Authority's ambassador to India, Adnan Abu Alhaija said that they "were shocked" about India's abstention. "The Palestinian people and leaders were very happy with the UN resolution, but the voting of India has broken our happiness."
India's reaction could also be explained by the condemnation that were quick to emerge from the opposition, which accused the government of a "complete reversal" of India's policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sitaram Yechury, the secretary general of India's CPI party told the Hindu Times that the "government should withdraw from this position and extend solidarity with Palestine."
Foreign Minister Shrimati Sushma Swaraj, who is also due to visit Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan later this year had earlier denied any shift in government policy saying "to say that we are tilted towards Israel or we are making any changes in our policy is wrong… with regard to Palestine India’s foreign policy has not undergone any change."
"Israel is our ally country but we have never let down the Palestinian cause. We support the Palestinian cause and will continue," added Swaraj.
Earlier this year Moshe Ya'alon became the first Israeli defense minister to visit India, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is planning a historic visit to Israel later this year. When Netanyahu and Modi met last year in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu told Modi that the “sky is the limit” in Israeli-Indian ties.
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