Did Indian election eviscerate BDS?
The second most populous country in the world just elected a strong pro-Israel leader and party.
I don’t know much about Indian politics, so I haven’t written about the election sweep which threw out the long-dominant Congress Party.
I do know that successive Indian governments have had at times contradictory relations with with Israel; not as crazed anti-Israel as many, but not solidly on Israel’s side either.
Indian-born writer Vijeta Uniyal believes that the election signals a sea change both politically and economically, with India looking to Israel for technology and investment to jump start the moribund Indian economy, India’s PM-elect Narendra Modi: a friend of Israel:
Narendra Modi is the next Prime Minister of India. Modi’s NDA-Alliance won 336 out of 543 seats in the Indian parliament. He has routed the ruling Congress Party led by Rahul Gandhi, the 4th generation member of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
Modi is arguably one of the most capable administrators in India. As Chief Minister of Gujarat State (2002-14) he turned around the economy, created infrastructure and improved public services. With a population of 60 million, Gujarat’s per-capita GDP today is much higher than India’s average.
A lot of ink has been spilled in the international press over this relatively unknown man now at the helm in New Delhi. However there is one story readers in Israel need to hear: Modi is a friend of Israel, the like of whom India has not seen before.
This fact can be stated without any exaggeration or wishful thinking. All one needs to do is to look at Modi’s track record.
Modi is the first Indian leader to have actually visited Israel. He has often expressed admiration for Israel’s achievements in research, technology and innovation; espacially in the field of agriculture and water resources.
Every year more than 2000 farmers from Gujarat visit Israel to get trained in advance farming techniques – at their own expense. He welcomed Israeli Companies to enter water management and recycling sector in 50 cities of Gujarat; and invited Israel to be the guest country at Gujarat state’s flagship Agricultural Fair (Vibrant Gujarat Agro Tech Global Fair 2014).
Snubbed by US on the basis of allegations relating to his role in 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots, Modi has held excellent working relationship with Israeli business community and diplomatic mission. He has worked to create an industrial fund to promote joint ventures between Israeli and Gujarat-based companies.
Keep reading. The second-most populous nation in the world will be rapidly expanding trade with Israel and looks to Israel as a political model.
The anti-Israel Mondoweiss website has the same analysis Shalom Modi: India and Israel look to deepen ties following victory of the Hindu right.
The Indian election was accompanied by news of expanded Israel-China academic research ties.
The heart of BDS is in Europe. But Israel’s economy increasingly is looking East, not West. Europe still matters tremendously, but it will be less so in the coming decade.
BDS is a malicious ideology, a reflection of the oldest hate, and needs to be addressed. But I said it before and repeat, political decisions should not be made from a position of panic over BDS.
Gullible students on campuses are being fed fools gold by their professors and other BDS organizers.
The “landmark,” supposedly most historic campus victory for BDS was when Wesleyan University’s student government fund decided to divest from companies doing business in Israel. That fund has a few hundred thousand dollars in it. It’s as if some individual decided to divest his or her healthy retirement account.
Compare that to the billions of new trade Israel will see from India and China alone.
If anything, BDS should be the one panicking over the reality of Israel’s strengthened economic and political ties to India.
(Featured Image source: The Telegraph Video)
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Comments
“BDS should be the one panicking over the reality of Israel’s strengthened economic and political ties to India.”
I’m sure the mimeograph machines are flying at full speed in their Luddite corner. I, for one, wish that every person who feels sympathy for the BDS movement be forced to live for a week without any of the modern conviences created by those of the Jewish faith. They couldn’t do it.
No nukes for Pakistan or Iran.
I’m hopeful that Modi’s election and the strength of his party signals that India has seriously turned away from the socialism that was keeping its people in a stagnant pool of poverty.
It would seem so. Hopin’…
Having traveled to India, it seems highly unlikely that the masses there (if they vote) would not vote for free stuff.
Don’t tell this news to that crybaby at UCLA. The tears will be coming so fast and furious she’ll die of dehydration.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2014/02/video-ucla-student-melts-down-after-anti-israel-resolution-defeated/
“Gullible students on campuses are being fed fools gold by their professors and other BDS organizers.”
That is an outgrowth of the advertising campaign found in the HAMAS Covenant. Because Israel has made a point of being a good neighbor, HAMAS has to rely on a pack of lies to convince other Muslims that there is some justification for enmity toward Israel. Those lies are being spread by unlettered and unethical “teachers.”
Are our universities so hard up for teachers that they have to scrape the bottom of the barrel?
Hamas needed to go no further than the Koran.
India under the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty used to be a very anit-Israel country.
The only thing you need to know about those elections is that 550,000,000 people showed up to vote and each and everyone of them managed to obtain a voter ID with their picture….
Our country is led by a crazy man.