It is ironic that the leader of a former colony is standing with a coloniser against the oppressed

When the world was “shocked” by Hamas’s attack on Israel, I, too, was shocked when my Gandhian-Communist friend, who used to claim that he believed in humanism and non-violence, called me and argued with me about the situation in Palestine. This Gandhian friend has now become a supporter of Godse’s ideology under the rule of the BJP in India, the same Godse who killed Gandhi. Perhaps, he had a problem with one of my Facebook posts, in which I wrote — “What has happened today in #Palestine is a clear indication of the inactivity of the international community and the result of the complicity of major powers with the #IsraeliOccupation, enabling it to extinguish any opportunity for justice for the Palestinian people”.

What has happened today in #Palestine is a clear indication of the inactivity of the international community and the result of the complicity of major powers with the #IsraeliOccupation, enabling it to extinguish any opportunity for justice for the Palestinian people.

— AFROZ ALAM SAHIL (@afrozsahil) October 7, 2023

He wanted to argue with me and started asking how a “terrorist attack” on Israel could be justified. He had many questions and, along with those questions, he was also trying to convince me that every Indian should stand with Israel. He also believed in everything the Indian media has been showing about Israel being the victim of Hamas’s terror. For this, he took the help of the statement of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who had tweeted – “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.” Not just a tweet, PM Modi reassured in a telephonic conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu that the people of India stand in solidarity with Israel.

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Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 7, 2023

I kept listening attentively to my friend for a long time, and then it was my turn to speak. My question to him was – When India was a British colony and the freedom fighters were fighting for the freedom of India, were they terrorists? He was shocked at this – “What are you talking about?”

I reminded him that the British government considered our freedom fighters as “terrorists”.

Forget about the freedom fighters, the British government in India was also looking at the innocent students of Jamia Millia Islamia, now a central university, who supported Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement from the same perspective (for more information about this, you can read my book ‘Jamia and Gandhi’.

Terrorists or freedom fighters?

If we go by the definition of terrorism, the Oxford Dictionary says terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Many freedom fighters in different parts of the world were called “terrorists” for their political demands, until they accomplished them. Later on, they are called freedom fighters, not “terrorists”. Whether in Asia, Africa or the Arab world.

The same Zionists who call every Palestinian who is seeking independence a terrorist, were once called terrorists for their terror against the British and also against Arabs in their pursuit of forcefully occupying the land of Palestine.

In Palestine, after the Second World War, Jewish groups fighting for the Jewish state were called terrorists by the British. And these “terrorists” later became leaders of Israel, like Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. Later on, they used the same label for the Arabs who are seeking ownership of their own land.

Jewish terrorism?

Palestinians were not the only target of Zionist terror, but the British, under whose mandate the Jews came to Palestine, faced their terror. If one digs into the newspapers of the time when Zionists were trying everything to get a state for themselves, it becomes clear that the very basis of the establishment of Israel were acts of terror. Cases of bomb blasts targeting Arabs were rampant during the 1930s and 1940s. Many reports in the newspaper, The Times of India (TOI), during the 1930s and 1940s talk about “Jewish terrorism”.

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After Israel’s bombardment of densely populated Gaza, many people on social media believed that Israel is applying the same methods that were adopted by Hitler against them. However, if you look at the newspapers written before the official announcement of Israel, you will see that the Jews were adopting the same methods in the 1940s, too. When I looked into the TOI dated 2 August, 1947, a column reads, “It is deplorable that Jews, who suffered so terribly under Hitler and for whose salvation many thousands of British and Allied lives were given, should have themselves adopted the Nazis’ inhuman methods.”

Zionists have been historically involved in terror activities and there is enough evidence for this.

According to a report published on 22 October, 1972, the first prominent victim of Zionist terror was Lord Moyne, British Secretary of State, who was murdered in Cairo. UN mediator, Count Folke, also became the victim of their terror. The report reads, “Jewish terror didn’t stop with the setting up of Israel. In the 1950s, Israeli agents blew up American and British embassy buildings in Cairo in an attempt to ruin British and American relations with Egypt. In the 1960s, they terrorised, in Egypt and abroad, German rocket experts working for Egypt.”

The TOI report further mentions, “… Zionism’s success was ensured through further terror (100 Government officials killed in the King David Hotel explosion) until Britain decided in February, 1947, to give up the “unworkable” mandate.”

The truth is that Israel has been able to whitewash its crimes and the world has conveniently forgotten the crimes committed by Zionists in the past and present. Zionist massacres like Deir Yassin should not be forgotten. The world should remember how Zionists occupied Arab lands and expelled Arabs from their land, turning them into refugees. What makes the world think that Palestinians should make peace with their murderers and settle on less than their State?

Gandhi on Jewish terrorism

India has historically stood with Palestine against Israel’s terror and atrocities. When Gandhi himself was alive, he considered the Jews who committed violence in Palestine as terrorists. On 14 July, 1946, Gandhi wrote an article in Panchgani, in which he writes, “… in my opinion, they have erred grievously in seeking to impose themselves on Palestine with the aid of America and Britain and now with the aid of naked terrorism.” In the same article, Gandhi writes, “Why should they depend upon American money or British arms for forcing themselves on an unwelcoming land? Why should they resort to terrorism to make good their forcible landing in Palestine?” This article by Gandhi was also published in Harijan on 21 July, 1946.

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On 5 May, 1947, Reuter representative, Doon Campbell, was interviewing Gandhi. One of his questions in this interview was “What is the solution to the Palestine problem?” To this Gandhi replied, “If I were a Jew, I would tell them, ‘Don’t be so silly as to resort to terrorism, because you simply damage your own case which otherwise would be a proper case.’ it is just political hankering then I think there is no value in it. Why should they hanker after Palestine?”

In another interview on 1 June, 1947, United Press of America staff correspondent, Gerald J. Rock, also asked the question, “What do you feel is the most acceptable solution to the Palestine problem?” Even then Gandhi had said – “The abandonment wholly by the Jews of terrorism and other forms of violence.” This interview with Gandhi was published in The Bombay Chronicle on 2 June, 1947.

India: A friend of Palestine

Up to the present, India is diplomatically a friend of Palestine. Recently, on 29 November,  2022, Prime Minister, Modi, said, “On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, I reiterate India’s unwavering support to the Palestinian cause.”

Not only this, but in his statement, Prime Minister Modi said that India’s ties with the friendly people of Palestine are rooted in a shared history. “We have always supported the Palestinian people in their pursuit of economic and social development with dignity and self-reliance. We are hopeful that direct talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will resume, finding a comprehensive and negotiated solution.”

The truth is that India’s support for the Palestinian cause has been an integral part of its foreign policy. However, it cannot be denied that the ideology to which the Head of the present government of India belongs considers Muslims and Christians as its enemies, but sees itself as closer to the Jews. Perhaps this is the reason why India-Israel relations have been much better in the last few years.

It is ironic that the Prime Minister of a former colony stands with the coloniser and not those who are colonised. Hindutva leaders have always stood against Palestine and supported Israel. On 25  June, 1967, an interview with a Hindutva leader, Balraj Madhok (25 February 1920-2 May 2016) was published in the TOI. On the question of whether India should establish diplomatic relations with Israel despite the probability of Arab nations breaking off with India, Madhok says that it does not matter if Arabs break diplomatic relations with India. He was firm that maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel would bring more advantages. He believed that befriending Israel was in the national interest of India.

I think my friend was not convinced by my arguments, even though I provided evidence from the pages of history. He disconnected the call and he may be thinking of me as a “terrorist” sympathiser, but now he will be more shocked to read the latest statement of the government of India. The Indian government, in its latest statement, reiterated the call for a ‘sovereign, independent, viable State of Palestine’. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs maintained, on Thursday, that India’s “long-standing and consistent” policy on the Palestinian State remains unchanged.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.