Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 10:18am on 09 Oct 2023,Monday India Global
The Hamas rocket attack on Israel and brutal counterstrike has put India in a difficult diplomatic position as it splits global opinion. This comes as India aims for greater Middle East ties, as seen in PM Modi's "deeply shocked" response condemning attacks and standing with Israel. No official MEA statement yet beyond retweets. Modi's stance signals support for Israel juxtaposing China and Pakistan's blame on Israeli actions in Palestine. The flare-up also puts Saudi Arabia in a spot amid its normalization efforts with Israel mediated by the US. Saudi Arabia has called to immediately halt violence and referenced depriving Palestinian rights, hinting it won't overlook Palestinian interests for normalization. While India's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict has shifted over time since independence, the current violence threatens India's major regional outreach efforts and pressures it to take sides, something New Delhi has avoided in the past given its trade and strategic interests.
