Is India supplying arms to Israel? ‘Third party vendors’ more likely at play
- An Israel-bound merchant ship was denied permission to dock in Spain because it was carrying explosives sourced from India in its hold
- Analysts suspect the explosive came from a third party vendor and believe the possibility India is supplying arms is unlikely for several reasons
Experts also doubt the possibility that India has any direct involvement in providing weapons to Israel, citing Delhi’s comparatively unsophisticated weapons technology and logistical difficulties.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno said earlier this month that the Danish-flagged ship, the Marianne Danica, had requested permission to dock at Cartagena on May 21 but was denied after it was found to be carrying 21 tonnes of explosives from Chennai, with port authorities citing a policy against ships carrying Israeli arms and military cargo.
However, experts said the likelihood that the explosives from India were meant to be used by Israel as weapons of war is highly unlikely.
“What is happening in Gaza is hand-to-hand fighting, a war of attrition, and targeted bombing, which is inhuman. But they don’t require Indian weapons or intelligence because it involves high-precision bombing,” said Pushpesh Pant, former dean of the School of International Studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Pant also cited the “long supply chain involved” as a reason to doubt that India is covertly supplying weapons to Israel, with shipments to Israel being tightly controlled by both land and sea blockades.
Right now, the notion that India was supplying arms to Israel was “only an allegation”, Pant said.
Israeli troops are currently pursuing Hamas militants in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite calls from the US, EU and other countries to curb the attacks to protect civilians in the area.
On Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal condemned the loss of civilian lives due to an Israeli strike in Rafah as “heartbreaking” and called for respecting international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict.
“We have consistently called for protection of the civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict,” he said.
Delhi’s condemnation came nearly three weeks after Israel began its offensive in Rafah, which has forced nearly a million Palestinians to flee the city. Many have been displaced multiple times since the eight-month-old war began in Gaza.
The situation in Gaza has deteriorated over the past few months due to a scarcity of food, fuel, and other supplies, leaving Palestinians to largely fend for themselves.
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India-Israel ties
While India has shown solidarity with Palestinians in the past, that relationship has waned in recent years, a trend that has accelerated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10-year rule.
Israel is an important weapons supplier to India and the countries share military intelligence, leading to diminishing support for Palestinians among Indians. Nonetheless, Delhi has tried to balance its position on the conflict by sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In February, local media reported that Indian trade unions had declared they would not load or unload weapons for Israel on any ships carrying arms bound for the country. This followed reports that a private Indian firm in Hyderabad had supplied military drones to Israel.
Analysts did say there was a possibility that weapons or explosives could be making their way from India to Israel via third parties.
“The whole arms trade is a very murky thing. Nowadays, it is possible to set up firms outside the country which can export arms to other countries,” said a source, who did not want to be identified, adding that a quid pro quo between the two countries could not be ruled out.
