Is India supplying arms to Israel? ‘Third party vendors’ more likely at play
- An Israel-bound merchant ship was denied permission to dock in Spain because it was carrying explosives sourced from India in its hold
- Analysts suspect the explosive came from a third party vendor and believe the possibility India is supplying arms is unlikely for several reasons
Experts also doubt the possibility that India has any direct involvement in providing weapons to Israel, citing Delhi’s comparatively unsophisticated weapons technology and logistical difficulties.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno said earlier this month that the Danish-flagged ship, the Marianne Danica, had requested permission to dock at Cartagena on May 21 but was denied after it was found to be carrying 21 tonnes of explosives from Chennai, with port authorities citing a policy against ships carrying Israeli arms and military cargo.
However, experts said the likelihood that the explosives from India were meant to be used by Israel as weapons of war is highly unlikely.
“What is happening in Gaza is hand-to-hand fighting, a war of attrition, and targeted bombing, which is inhuman. But they don’t require Indian weapons or intelligence because it involves high-precision bombing,” said Pushpesh Pant, former dean of the School of International Studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.