Fatima Saleem
The resurgence of fascism in global politics has led to an uptick in incidents of ultra-nationalism, racism, Islamophobia and intolerance. The emergence of authoritarian societies is a direct reflection of that. Both Zionism and Hindutva are premised on similar beliefs and are deeply embedded in the teachings of the ethno-nationalist far-right. The two have joined hands to form an ideological bond directly impacting domestic, regional, and global politics. This insight, therefore, aims to trace the historical roots of the two ideologies, understand their similarities and give context to the Indo-Israel nexus in the giant mosaic of the US-China rivalry.
According to orthodox Jewish traditions, Jews are forbidden from forming a state of their own until the arrival of their Messiah, and doing otherwise is considered blasphemous. However, this has not stopped the Zionists from pursuing their agenda. Historically, Zionism emerged in 1897 as a result of political developments in Eastern Europe, where Jews were facing mass persecution. Its founder, Theodor Herzl, advocated forming a separate Jewish state in Palestine. The Jerusalem program is the guiding principle of Zionism and states the following:-
The program was adopted in 1951 at the 23rd World Zionist Congress and has undergone multiple revisions. The left-wing Zionists are more secular, while the right-wing Zionists promote the occupation of Palestine and prefer a government centred on Jewish religious traditions. According to Henry Kissinger, Israel never had a foreign policy, only domestic politics. If this is to be believed, then its actions are an extension of its domestic Zionist agenda. Promoting illegal settlements, restricting access to Al-Aqsa Mosque, declaring Jerusalem as its unequivocal capital, the ongoing Israel-Gaza war and calling Palestinians “animals” are some of the practical manifestations of it.
Hindutva is the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and is heavily influenced by Mussolini’s Italy, the rise of Nazism and the Third Reich in Germany. The term was first coined by V.D. Savarkar in 1923 and promotes Hindu nationalism and supremacy. Savarkar’s work, ‘The Essentials of Hindutva’, states that India belongs exclusively to the Hindus and advocates a Hindu majoritarian state, the “Hindu Rashtra”, for the “protection of its “cultural citizenship” . Unlike Islam and Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism originated in India. Premised on this, Savarkar termed these religions as variations of Hinduism while rejecting the Abrahamic texts altogether. This has been a decisive factor in today’s ongoing religious tensions in India.
The amendments to India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, the abrogation of articles 370 and 35a in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and increased incidents of mob lynching against minorities are some of the practical examples of Hindutva ideology.
Premised on hyper-nationalistic beliefs, both ideologies of Zionism and Hindutva hold astounding similarities. India and Israel are ruled by ethno-racially driven regimes, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the coalition of right-wing Likud party and Religious Zionism, respectively.
Aiming to keep their lands racially pure, Hindutva propagates the creation of a Hindu Rashtra and Akhand Bharat encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. At the same time, Zionists strive to create a Greater Israel encompassing Palestine, parts of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.
Both ideologies have a legacy of colonisation (illegal occupation of Kashmir and Palestine) and are actively engaged in genocidal practices. The Gujarat massacre of 2002 and the ongoing Israel’s war in Gaza are glaring examples of it.
Proponents of the two ideologies are engaged in distorting history. “Saffronisation” of the curriculum to paint Muslims as oppressors and labelling Jews as natives and Arabs as colonisers is a practical manifestation of it. The desecration of religious sites in India and Israel has also become a common occurrence. According to a report of the People's Union for Human Rights, in Gujarat alone, 500 mosques and shrines have been demolished to date.
Historically, India-Israel ties were never strong. After independence, India supported the cause of Palestine, and in 1974, it became the first non-Arab country to give legitimacy to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). However, in a bid to develop stronger ties with the US, in 1992, India established formal diplomatic relations with Israel. With time, relations have grown stronger, encompassing economic, political, military, and cultural domains.
In the contemporary geopolitical scenario where India and Israel act as net security providers for their respective regions, having similar political ideologies is convenient. The growing Indo-Israel nexus can also be explained in the larger context of the US-China rivalry. India’s US strategic partner status has further augmented New Delhi-Tel Aviv relations. The deepening bond can further be explained by India’s ambition to obtain regional dominance, which is actively pursuing a policy to remain close to countries with advanced military and technological capabilities.
India is Israel’s largest buyer of military equipment and its second-largest trade partner in Asia. Ties have been further strengthened by cooperation in cybersecurity, the energy sector, air transport agreements, film co-production, investment in India and investment in Israel deals and MoUs in medicine and space science.
Amidst the current Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza, thousands of Indian labourers have migrated to Israel in a bid to replace Palestinians. Israel is also actively assisting the Indian army in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir through information sharing, providing surveillance software and supplying weapons.
As Indo-Israel relation grows, the Hindutva Bhakts continue to hold Zionists in high esteem. This unholy alliance poses a dire threat to the values of multiculturalism and peaceful co-existence. The mastermind of the Norway 2011 attack, Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 69 individuals, released a manifesto, “A European Declaration of Independence”, in which he glorified the Hindutva ideology. This is a dangerous precedence and shows that in today's deeply interconnected world, these fascist ideologies are influencing individuals and, therefore, pose an imminent risk to global peace. As the sphere of influence of Zionism and Hindutva expands, the world silently watches them carry out gross human rights violations in Gaza and Kashmir, respectively. It has, therefore, become incumbent upon the international community to hold these fascist governments to account before it gets too late.