New Delhi: India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar defended the export of Indian arms to Israel during a parliamentary Q&A session, asserting that the policy aligns with New Delhi’s national interest, Press TV reported.
This comes amid allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, where the ongoing conflict has claimed over 45,000 Palestinian lives.
When asked about the possibility of imposing an arms embargo on Israel, Jaishankar dismissed the idea, stating, “The issue of India’s exports, including exports with military implications, is guided by our national interest and commitments to various regimes.”
He highlighted India’s “strong” security cooperation with Israel, reiterating that decisions are made in line with national priorities.
India is Israel’s largest arms buyer, contributing $1 billion annually to bilateral arms trade.
Press TV noted that recent reports have linked Indian-manufactured weaponry to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including the use of AI-powered systems.
Indian human rights advocates have expressed alarm over the country’s role in facilitating Israel’s actions. In September, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition to suspend arms transfers to Israel.
Regarding India’s abstentions on UN resolutions addressing the Gaza crisis, Jaishankar said that New Delhi could not support resolutions that failed to denounce Hamas’s October 7 operation against Israel.
Additionally, he clarified India’s position on the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes.
Jaishankar’s added that India is not a signatory to the ICC and has no formal stance on the matter, the report said.
