The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came under attack in Parliament for refusing to allow a resolution condemning Israel for the strikes on Gaza even as the death toll crossed 500 on Monday. In particular focus was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership’s close ties with Israel, given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had travelled as Gujarat Chief Minister to that country in 2006 and promised to return if he became the Prime Minister. Former Home Minister L.K. Advani was the first senior Minister to visit Israel in 2000. .
However, according to experts, the shift in official statement came not with the Modi government, but, in fact, in 2012. Former diplomat and United Nations official Chinmaya Garekhan, who was then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special envoy to West Asia and the Middle East Peace Process, told The Hindu , “There is no doubt that India’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict has moderated gradually over a period of time, from its once categorical support for the Palestinian cause.” - Suhasini Haidar