India asked by Lebanon, Iran to play more active role as conflict broadens in Middle East

NEW DELHI – India, which has long been able to preserve friendly ties with countries in the Middle East hostile to each other, has now been asked to play a mediating role, which may be tough for New Delhi.

Lebanon and Iran – through their respective envoys to India, Dr Rabie Narsh and Dr Iraj Elahi – have called on India to play a more active role in supporting a ceasefire in the Middle East, and to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate the ongoing attacks.

At a talk in India on Oct 6, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India is looking to make a difference, saying: “The entire world, including us, are worried about it, and we are trying to see where we can make a difference, and do what we can.”

At another event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank in Washington on Oct 2, Dr Jaishankar noted that “if there are things to be said and passed on and passed back (between Israel and Iran), I think those are all contributions that we can make and we do”.

His remarks are being interpreted by analysts as budding efforts by New Delhi to play a more active role.

Dr Alvite Singh Ningthoujam, an assistant professor at Symbiosis International University, told The Straits Times: “Dr Jaishankar’s statement, I think, that also signals some sort of confidence India is gaining to reach out to warring factions. We haven’t tried openly. We may be giving tacit advice.”

He added that these may constitute “signals of some kind of mediation”.

India has been publicly seeking a ceasefire, with Dr Jaishankar noting in April that India was in touch with both Iran and Israel.

But the question, analysts noted, is whether India can make a difference in a conflict where diplomacy has so far failed to take off and where hostilities continue to escalate.

Israel has continued to expand its military campaign into Lebanon against Hezbollah despite calls for restraint, including from the US, as civilian deaths mount and a humanitarian crisis continues to deepen.

And Iran, in a show of support for its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas, has entered the fray, launching 200 ballistic missiles on Oct 1 on Israel, which has vowed to retaliate.

India, however, is in a unique position in that it has excellent ties with all the countries involved.

India’s engagement with Israel, which has been appreciative of India’s response to the Middle East conflict, continues to grow. Israel is the fourth-largest supplier of military hardware to India after Russia, France and the US, and Mr Narendra Modi was the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel in 2017.

It has also edged closer to Sunni-majority Arab states in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are increasingly looking to India as they seek to diversify from an over-dependence on oil and focus on economic development in their countries.

At the same time, India has maintained good relations with Shi’ite-majority Iran, with which it has historical ties.

And India, in its own way, has urged restraint while balancing ties with the warring countries.

On Sept 23, Mr Modi met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New York on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, and expressed “unwavering support” for the Palestinian people.

During his meeting with Mr Abbas, Mr Modi called for a ceasefire and return to dialogue, saying that the way for peace and stability in that region was a two-state solution.

Then in a telephone conversation with Mr Netanyahu on Sept 30, Mr Modi extended support for Israel’s fight against terrorism and hoped for the safe release of hostages captured by Hamas, but also warned him against “regional escalation” of the Middle East conflict.

But tellingly, India was not among 104 countries that signed a letter on Oct 11 criticising Israel for barring United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country.

And despite having 903 soldiers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, India was also not among 34 Unifil countries who condemned on Oct 12 Israeli attacks on peacekeepers – even though New Delhi subsequently said it “aligns itself fully” with the statement.

At the same time, India had three naval ships docked at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Oct 1 as part of a joint training mission in the Persian Gulf.

India is still clearly trying to juggle ties with countries that are in conflict with one another.

And the fine line it walks, say analysts, is a sign of India’s limited ability to achieve any meaningful progress in the region – despite its unique position of having strong ties with all parties.

Mr Kabir Taneja, a Middle East specialist who is deputy director for strategic studies at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think-tank, told ST that India is in no position to mediate a political consensus.

“The kind of political capital required to do that resides within the Middle East and the region’s largest external supporter, the US,” Mr Taneja said.

“New Delhi has maintained a principled stand on the issue, propagating for a stop to hostilities, promoting dialogue, but remaining steadfast to its commitments in countering terrorism.”