Israeli embassy blast

THE blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi is a telltale sign that the reverberations of the Israel-Hamas war are being felt far beyond the conflict zone. An ‘abusive’ letter, addressed to the Israeli Ambassador, was found near the spot. It is suspected to be linked to an organisation named ‘Sir Allah Resistance’, with words such as Zionists, Palestine and Gaza being mentioned in the letter. The National Investigation Agency is conducting a probe into the incident, which has prompted India to step up security in areas around the embassy and Jewish establishments in the Capital. In 2021, several cars had been damaged in a blast outside the embassy; the attack had been linked to the Quds Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Israeli strike that killed a Quds commander in Syria on Monday assumes great significance against this backdrop.

Countries with a significant Muslim population, such as India, need to be wary of attempts to whip up anti-Israel sentiment and unleash violence. New Delhi has close ties with Tel Aviv, notwithstanding India’s vote in favour of a recent UN resolution seeking an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza; Israel and the US were among the handful of countries which had voted against the resolution. India’s relations with the Arab world are also on a firm footing. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed the West Asia crisis with him is indicative of the rapport between the two leaders. High stakes in West Asia are guiding India’s pragmatic diplomacy.

While peaceful protests calling for an end to the Gaza war are par for the course, New Delhi cannot afford to let rabble-rousers cash in on the Israel-Palestine dispute. India must send out a strong message that the misuse of its territory for such nefarious purposes will not be tolerated. At the same time, India needs to exert greater pressure on Israel to put an end to the continuing massacre of innocent Palestinians.

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