Gandhi was India’s ‘Father of the Nation’ who opposed Zionism in ‘Arab’ Palestine
By Omar Ahmed | Middle East Monitor
The ongoing genocidal war by the settler-colonial state of Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza has recaptured global attention and rejuvenated the Palestinian national liberation struggle. Nevertheless, the issue remains highly divisive, with one side advocating for a free Palestine and the other, smaller but significant, ideologically opposed to it, namely Zionists and their supporters.
In the realm of social media, the latter have found a prominent supportive voice among Indian Hindu nationalists. Their rabid anti-Muslim sentiments place them voluntarily at the forefront of the online propaganda and information war against the Palestinians.
However, this hasn’t always been the case, given India’s anti-colonial, independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s position on Palestine. As such, there has also been renewed interest in the “Father of the Nation” and his opposition to the formation of a Jewish state in Palestine.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born into a devout Hindu family on 2 October, 1869, in Porbandar, a coastal town in present-day Gujarat, India. After completing his education in law in London, he embarked on a legal career in South Africa, where he would later become a leading figure in the struggle against racial discrimination there.
Returning to his homeland in 1915, Gandhi emerged as an important figure in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule. He was also a vocal proponent of religious pluralism in India. However, revisiting his life in contemporary times has not been without controversies, such as his views on caste, race and women’s rights.
Gandhi’s opposition to Zionism wasn’t an isolated viewpoint, but part of his broader critique of imperialism and colonialism.
His philosophy of Satyagraha, which became associated with nonviolent resistance, transcended national borders and emphasised the interconnectedness of struggles against oppression worldwide.
He was also familiar with the emphasis placed on justice and standing up against oppression in Islam, once saying, with reference to the martyred grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that: “If I had 72 companions like Hussain, I would have freed India in 24 hours, from the British,” and that “I learnt from Hussain how to achieve victory whilst being oppressed.”
For Gandhi, the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine would be inherently unjust and not even justified religiously. As acknowledged by the Jewish Virtual Library, an essay written by Gandhi in 1938 “about the Arab-Jew question in Palestine and the persecution of the Jews in Germany,” states:
“The cry for the national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. The sanction for it is sought in the Bible and the tenacity with which the Jews have hankered after return to Palestine. Why should they not, like other peoples of the earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood?
Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct.
“The mandates have no sanction but that of the last war [World War One]. Surely 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.”
As a famous proponent of non-violent struggle, Gandhi even expressed his empathy with the Palestinian struggle:
“I am not defending the Arab excesses. I wish they had chosen the way of non-violence in resisting what they, rightly, regarded as an unwarrantable encroachment upon their country. But according to the accepted canons of right and wrong nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of overwhelming odds.”
Officially endorsing the unviable two-state solution, New Delhi has maintained full diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv since 1992, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strengthened trade and defence ties with the occupation state. The BJP also draws inspiration from Israel, viewing it as a model of a “religious-nationalist state,” offering an alternative vision to India’s founding secular and multi-religious principles.
It is interesting to note that India supported Palestinian nationalists during its own struggle for independence from British rule. In 1947, India proposed a plan for the creation of an independent federal state of Palestine, with constitutional safeguards for the Jewish minority. India’s concerns about the establishment of what was perceived as a settler state in the British Mandate for Palestine contributed to its vote against the UN resolution recommending the creation of Jewish and Arab states in a partitioned Palestine.
On 30 January, 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist and a member of the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), due to his perceived favouring and appeasement of Muslims over the interests of the Hindu majority. In today’s Hindu nationalist ruled-India, one can see a further erosion of Gandhian values, both domestically with rising anti-Muslim discrimination and violence, as well as in foreign policy through the strengthening of relations with the last remaining colonial outpost in the Middle East, the apartheid state of Israel.
Source-Credit: Middle East Monitor
Latest
“The Zionists indeed learnt well from the Nazis. So well that it seems that their morally repugnant treatment of the Palestinians, and their attempts to destroy Palestinian society within Israel and the occupied territories, reveals them as basically Nazis with beards and black hats.”
― Norman Finkelstein
I saw a lot of website but I believe this one contains something extra in it in it
Yay google is my king helped me to find this great website ! .
certainly like your website however you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the reality on the other hand I¦ll certainly come back again.
Thank you for another wonderful post. Where else could anyone get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such info.
I really like meeting utile info, this post has got me even more info! .
I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
You really make it appear really easy along with your presentation however I in finding this topic to be really something that I believe I might by no means understand. It kind of feels too complex and extremely vast for me. I’m having a look forward in your next submit, I¦ll try to get the hang of it!
F*ckin¦ tremendous issues here. I¦m very satisfied to peer your post. Thank you so much and i’m taking a look forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
Hello there, just became alert to your blog via Google, and found that it is truly informative. I am gonna be careful for brussels. I’ll be grateful for those who proceed this in future. Numerous people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Someone essentially help to make seriously articles I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I amazed with the research you made to create this particular publish amazing. Wonderful job!
Whats up! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice information you have here on this post. I will probably be coming again to your weblog for more soon.
After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.
I will immediately grab your rss feed as I can not find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly permit me know so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
Fantastic blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Kudos!
Spot on with this write-up, I really suppose this website wants far more consideration. I’ll most likely be once more to learn far more, thanks for that info.
Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.” by Aristotle.
Some really excellent info , Gladiolus I discovered this. “The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.” by James Bond Tomorrow Never Dies.
Wow! This can be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Excellent. I’m also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your effort.