By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: As India has emerged a strong global economy there is a need to launch a massive movement in the country supporting the Palestinian cause to force the government to review its policy towards Israel. India’s strong support for Palestine at this moment will have impacts on Israel and global politics surrounding the Palestinian issue, said political and religious leaders yesterday in New Delhi.
They were speaking at a daylong national conference on “Solidarity with Freedom Movement of Palestine” organized by Muslim Political Council of India in cooperation with Palestine Solidarity Movement, a newly formed group in Delhi.
L-R: Dr Tasleem Rahmani (Muslim Political Council), Rafeeque Ahmed (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Mulayam Singh Yadav (MP and chief of Samajwadi Party), Abdul Wahab Khilji (All India Milli Council) and Bhim Singh (Panthers Party)
Member of Parliament Nilotpal Basu of CPM alleged that India was indirectly supporting the Israeli atrocities on Palestinians by strengthening its economy through weapons purchase.
“India is buying weapons from Israel at large scale and thus supporting its economy. So the Israeli attacks on innocent Palestinians are indirectly supported by India,” Basu said. He stressed on the need for a joint campaign from all communities irrespective of religion to support Palestinian statehood. “India is a strong emerging economy, so a massive movement here to support Palestinian movement will have impact on Israel and global politics,” he said.
Rafeeque Ahmed, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, termed the Palestinian issue a human rights issue and sought support from all communities.
“Palestinian issue is a human rights issue, so we all should support it. Israel has occupied Palestinian land by carrying out genocide,” Ahmed said and tagged the peace of world with solution of this issue. “No peace is possible in the world without solving the issue of Palestine.”
“India has always supported Palestinian movement but since 1992 India’s foreign policy regarding Israel has changed,” he added while urging for a mass movement on the issue. “Such occasional programs will not help, there is a need to launch a public movement to support Palestine.”
Dr Tasleem Rahmani, president, Muslim Political Council of India, expressed hope that apparently Palestinians seem to be losing but at the end of the day their movement will succeed.
“It is no war when tanks are confronted with boys with stones in Palestinian streets and it seems Palestine will disappear from the map of the world, but given the determination of new Palestinian generation to free their motherland, it is certain the Palestinian movement will succeed,” he said and condemned the Indian policy vis-à-vis Israel.
“India has always supported nonviolence but surprisingly today it is silent on Israeli atrocities in Israel.”
Dr SQR Ilyas, Executive Committee Member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, also expressed his concern on growing India-Israel strategic relations.
“India-Israel strategic relations now going beyond mere military relations will put in danger the security of India itself. The development will make India a colony of the US and Israel,” Dr Ilyas said and expressed concern over the fact that our country sends IPS officers to Israel for training.
Deepankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary, CPI-ML, expressed solidarity with the Palestinian movement and termed Israeli occupation on Israel as the greatest injustice on earth in 20th century.
“Occupation of Palestinian land by Israel is the greatest injustice of 20th century,” Bhattacharya said adding that there is a need to change foreign policy of India to keep it free. He also expressed concern on efforts to present Muslims in India as villain and to demonize the whole community.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief and former defence minister, criticized the Union Government for not having clear foreign policies.
“For a long time, India has lost vision as it has no clear stand on foreign issues. In fact India has no friend in the world today,” Singh said addressing the gathering as chief guest.
“Jawahar Lal Nehru had said India will never be silent on human rights violations but the Congress party of Nehru has forgot his policy,” Singh said adding that his party supports the Palestinian cause.
The co-organizer of the conference Palestine Solidarity Movement has given a call to boycott about 90 products/services of companies which are directly or indirectly attached with Israel. The products include cold drinks like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite, IT companies like Intel, IBM, Microsoft and Nokia and soaps like Dove, Lux, Pond’s and Rexona.