India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar defended the country’s arms exports to Israel, stating that the policy aligns with India’s national interests. His remarks came in response to questions about the ongoing arms trade between the two nations. He made these remarks during a parliamentary Q&A session.
“The issue of India’s exports, including exports with military implications, is guided by our national interest and commitments to various regimes,” Jaishankar said in response to a question concerning the potential for enforcing an arms embargo on Israel.
He also added, “When we take any decision, we will bear in mind, obviously, the larger circumstances, but we will definitely be driven by our national interest in this matter.” while referring to Israel’s “strong” national security collaboration with India.
This comes amidst allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, where more than 45,000 Palestinians were killed in the ongoing conflict.
With an annual trade value of almost $1 billion, India is the biggest purchaser of Israeli weapons. The nation has also emerged as a significant co-producer of Israeli weapons in recent years.
Concerns have been expressed by Indian academics and human rights advocates regarding India’s involvement in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
India’s top court, however, denied a petition in September that sought to halt India’s military transfer to Israel.
In the parliament, Jaishankar was also questioned on India’s decision to abstain from a number of UN resolutions pertaining to Gaza.
He said, “New Delhi was unable to support resolutions that failed to sufficiently denounce the September 7, 2023, operation by the Hamas resistance group against the usurping state and the detention of Israeli captives in Gaza.”
