8. International Factors
Belated recognition and Jawaharlal Nehru’s commitment to the
normalization of relations between India and Israel were important mile-
stones in India’s Middle East policy. They were signifi cant departures
from the past and signaled a new approach. Eventual progress, however,
was minimal, and the absence of relations remained the hallmark of its
foreign policy for over four de cades. If domestic concerns over Muslim
populations played a crucial role, was the international climate more fa-
vorable? If the Congress Party could not fi nd a common cause with the
yishuv, did in de pen dent India look for po liti cal common ground with
Israel? Was there at some point a fundamental transformation in India’s
view of the Jewish state? Did the formation of Pakistan alleviate pressures
for supporting the Palestinians, or did it accentuate the Arab factor? If
nonrelation was its policy, how did India deal with the growing interna-
tional support for the Palestinian issue? Did Israel’s endorsement by the
rival blocs of the cold war indicate a more favorable climate for the Jewish
state?
The basic climate within which the Indian nationalists viewed the Jew-
ish nationalist aspirations remained after 1947 but took a diff erent outward
form. Po liti cal convergence and a commonality of interests were overlooked
in favor of ideological diff erences. The Congress Party– Muslim League