Context

• Mahatma Gandhi’s article ‘The Jews’ has been the subject of intense debate over the years. It has been cited as evidence of his naiveness by some, while others have seen it as further proof of his deep commitment to non-violence, regardless of consequences.
• Amidst the latest bloody chapter in the history of Israel and Palestine, it is important to look back and assess what Gandhi had to say on this.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Views on Jews and A Separate Jewish Homeland

• Showed Great Sympathy for Jews
  • The Mahatma always made it clear that he had deep sympathies for the Jewish people who had historically been unjustly persecuted for their religion.
  • He said in his article, “My sympathies are all with the Jews. They have been the untouchables of Christianity. Religious sanction has been invoked for the justification of the inhuman treatment meted out to them.”
  • He further said that the German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history and expressed his concern with Britain’s policy of placating Adolf Hitler at the time (before World War II broke out).
  • The Mahatma declared that for the cause of humanity and to prevent the persecution of the Jewish people, even a war with Germany would be completely justified.
• Yet, Gandhi was Against a Zionist State in Palestine
  • He held the view that it is wrong and inhumane to impose the Jews on the Arabs.
  • He believed it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.

Reasons Behind His Opposition to A Jewish Homeland

• Religious Text Cannot be A Pretext for the Creation of a Separate State
  • Mahatma Gandhi believed Palestine was already home to Arab Palestinians, and the settlement of Jews, which Britain actively enabled, was fundamentally violent.
  • A religious act [the act of Jews returning to Palestine] cannot be performed with the aid of the bayonet or the bomb.
  • Gandhi felt that the Jews can settle in Palestine only with the goodwill of Arabs and for that they had to forgo the British bayonet.
• A Jewish Homeland was Against the Idea of Jews’ Struggle Across the Globe
  • Gandhi felt that the idea of a Jewish homeland was fundamentally antithetical towards their fight for greater rights elsewhere in the world.
  • And he was not unique in sharing this position at the time.
  • He wrote in his article if the Jews have no home but Palestine, will they relish the idea of being forced to leave the other parts of the world in which they are settled.
  • He further said that the Jewish claim for a national home afforded a colourable justification for the German expulsion of the Jews.

Impact of Mahatma Gandhi’s Views on Indian Foreign Policy

• Influenced J L Nehru and Subsequently Shaping India’s Foreign Policy
  • Gandhi’s opinions, and his own anti-imperialism had a profound impact on Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, and was responsible for shaping the nascent country’s foreign policy for decades.
  • In many ways, Nehru inherited this perspective from Mahatma Gandhi.
• India Rejected the Two-Nation Solution and Supported Palestine Cause
  • India’s political attitude towards Israel was set quite firmly shortly after independence in 1947.
  • The first PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi gave support the Palestinian cause and rejected the idea of two nations based on religion.
  • While they had sympathy for the Jews, both were of the view that any State based on religious exclusivity could not sustain on moral and political grounds.
  • This was in line with their opposition to the partition of India.
• India Voted Against Israel at the UN
  • India’s position about Palestine was also guided by the general consensus in the Arab world, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the United Nations.
  • When the partition of Palestine plan was put to vote at the UN, India voted against, along with the Arab countries.
  • When Israel applied for admission to the UN, India again voted against.
• Recognition of Isarel as a Nation but Without Diplomatic Relations
  • India recognised Israel on September 17, 1950, after two Muslim-majority countries, Turkey and Iran, did so.
  • In 1953, Israel was allowed to open a consulate in Mumbai, but no diplomatic presence was granted in New Delhi.
  • Engagement with Palestine Leadership Under Yasser Arafat
  • In the late 1960s and early 70s, with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) emerged as the representative of the people of Palestine under Yasser Arafat.
• India developed its engagement with the largest political grouping under PLO, Al Fatah.
  • Recognition of PLO as the Legitimate Representation of Palestinian People
  • On January 10, 1975, India recognised PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and permitted it an independent office at New Delhi.
  • While India was one of the last non-Muslim states to recognise Israel, it became the first non-Arab state to recognise the PLO.

Conclusion

• Mahatma Gandhi held his views on the Palestine-Israel problem till his death, blaming the singling out and wronging the Jews.
• At the same time, he always reiterated his long-held opposition to a separate nation for the Jewish Community.
• For many decades, his views dominated the Indian foreign policy until recently when India dehypheneted the India-Israel-Palestine relations and established strong ties with Israel.