Is India Following the ‘Israeli Model’ in Kashmir

The growing diplomatic closeness between India’s current Narendra Modi government and Israel is not limited to arms imports, but the issue of following the ‘Israeli Model’ in India’s internal governance is being vigorously discussed.

According to analysts, India’s steps, especially in Jammu and Kashmir policy, surveillance technology and the ‘bulldozer trial’ – are closely similar to Israel’s Palestine policy.

The call for adopting the ‘Israeli Model’ on the Kashmir issue by the then Consul General of India in New York in 2019, Sandeep Chakraborty, is becoming more true in the current context. The attempts to change the demographics of Kashmir along the lines of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are being seen by many as a shadow of Israel’s ‘settler colonialism’.

The BJP government’s ‘Hindutva’ ideology shares an ideological similarity with Israel’s ‘Zionism’, where both sides want to establish themselves as the ‘natural homeland’ of a particular religious community.

One of the most talked-about issues in India’s domestic politics today is the ‘bulldozer policy’. This practice of demolishing the homes or shops of people accused of a crime without due process is essentially a version of the punitive measures Israel has used against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Although the Supreme Court of India has banned such evictions without due process, in practice it continues to be used in several states, including Uttar Pradesh.

In addition, allegations of Israeli spyware ‘Pegasus’ being used to monitor journalists and opponents have further highlighted the impact of Israeli repressive tactics on India’s democratic structure.

In the field of defense, India is currently Israel’s largest arms buyer. India was also seen supplying weapons to Israel during the Gaza war. Experts say India is now starting to view population control and security in Kashmir and other hot spots from an Israeli perspective, where its own citizens are often seen as an ‘external threat’.

The Modi government’s ‘love of Israel’ is not only pushing back India’s long-standing pro-Palestinian stance, but also creating a rigid military and authoritarian structure in its internal governance.

Source: Al Jazeera.