Eminent Indians urge govt to stop arms exports to Israel

A coalition of prominent citizens in India has urged the country’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, to halt the issuance of licences that allow Indian exporters to supply arms and ammunition to Israel.

In a letter addressed to Singh, the group expressed serious concerns about India's role in potentially facilitating violations of international humanitarian law through arms exports to Israel.

The letter called for India to immediately cease all collaborations that involve delivering military materials to Israel. The signatories stressed that India should ensure that any weapons already sent to Israel are not used to perpetrate acts of genocide or violate international humanitarian law. The group includes distinguished individuals such as former Supreme Court and high court judges, economists, activists, and authors, including Booker Prize-winning writer Arundhati Roy.

The letter emphasised the need for a review and suspension of all existing licences granted to Indian companies for supplying military arms and ammunition to Israel. The group also urged that detailed information regarding export licences and the countries involved in these exports be made publicly accessible, pointing out that such details were previously available online but have since been removed. Prashant Bhushan, a renowned lawyer, highlighted this lack of transparency.

The group noted that at least three Indian companies involved in arms manufacturing and export have received licences to sell military equipment to Israel, even amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and despite international legal rulings. They argued that India is bound by various international laws and treaties prohibiting the supply of military weapons to states implicated in war crimes, as such exports could facilitate serious breaches of international humanitarian law.

Arundhati Roy, a key figure in the group, emphasised the urgent need to halt arms supplies to Israel, while economist Jean Dreze read a statement from the Right to Food Campaign, a network of organizations and individuals. The statement condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza by the Israeli government, describing it as merciless.

On Wednesday, left-wing political parties also issued a statement demanding the cancellation of all export licences and permissions granted to Indian companies for supplying military arms and ammunition to Israel.

The government has not made any official statements regarding arms supplies to Israel, but an investigation by Al Jazeera Media Group alleged that New Delhi is actively supplying weapons to the country.

In June, Daniel Carmon, a former Israeli Ambassador to India, suggested that India might be supplying weapons to Israel as an expression of gratitude for Israel's assistance during the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which began after an October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, has drawn widespread international condemnation against Israel for its continued military actions. Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has persisted with its offensive, leading to severe criticism worldwide.

Local health authorities report that nearly 39,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, and over 91,000 injured in the conflict. The war has left Gaza in ruins, with a severe blockade restricting access to food, clean water, and medicine.

The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and ordered an immediate halt to its military operations in Rafah, a southern city where over a million Palestinians sought refuge from the conflict before it was invaded on May 6.