External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s Munich epiphany on civilian casualties in Gaza is a welcome improvement. At a dialogue on the Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar stated the Hamas assault was “terrorism…no caveats”, and that the return of the hostages was “imperative”. He additionally stated that “…Israel should have been very mindful of civilian casualties, it has an international obligation to observe humanitarian law”.

The solely remorse is that India didn’t say this earlier. Indeed, earlier than this, India had dodged a number of alternatives to take an express stand in opposition to the horrific human toll that Israel has extracted in Gaza because it used its proper to “self-defence” — the most recent numbers are 29,000 killed, two-thirds of them girls and kids. So, Jaishankar’s sudden acknowledgement that Israel had disregarded civilian casualties is a big shift in how India has to this point positioned itself on the Israel-Hamas struggle. 

In November, India abstained from a UN General Assembly vote on a decision calling for an “immediate and sustained humanitarian truce”, on the bottom that it didn’t name out the terrorism by Hamas, however the decision was adopted by an awesome majority of the member-states. Coming quickly after its G-20 self-branding because the “Voice of the Global South”, India’s backing out of a chance to be seen and heard on the aspect of the civilians in Gaza was a let-down.

It was maybe as a result of impression gaining floor that India was tone deaf to how strongly the world felt in regards to the retribution Israel was unleashing on Palestinians residing in Gaza that Modi stated in his handle to the Voice of Global South Summit final November that “we strongly condemn the deaths of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas”. 

Jaishankar’s formulation is an enchancment. Is it the dimensions of the casualties in Gaza that has introduced in regards to the change of coronary heart? Going by the more and more transactional nature of India’s overseas coverage, the reason could lie elsewhere.

There is a visual shift in Washington’s coverage on the Israel-Hamas struggle and studies of the US imminently shifting a draft decision within the UN Security Council calling for “support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable.” India’s concern for civilian casualties got here nearly in tandem, certainly as Jaishankar was sitting alongside US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Also, simply final week, days earlier than Jaishankar spoke, India managed to have eight former navy officers launched from jail in Qatar, a small however highly effective sheikhdom that performs host to Hamas, is negotiating with them for the discharge of the Israeli hostages, and has condemned Israel strongly for its bombardment of civilians in Gaza. It is tempting to hitch the dots.