After Niman Netanyahu’s highly successful visit to Washington, Narendra Modi is the second major right-wing world leader to step foot in the White House to meet US President Donald Trump.
Narendra Modi knows that Donald Trump had humiliated Netanyahu before meeting the Israeli Prime Minister. He retweeted the statement regarding Netanyahu, which went viral in Israel. Renowned economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs, who is himself Jewish, is a strong critic of the US patronage in the Ukraine war and Israel’s support for the genocide in Palestine. He recently used derogatory words for Netanyahu.
Trump had endorsed Jeffrey Sachs’ statement and shared it on his X handle. Trump also seems to be taking a derogatory attitude towards his Indian friend. Not only did he not invite Narendra Modi to his swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by most right-wing world leaders, but the real blow was when he invited Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping to attend the ceremony, but the Chinese president declined to attend.
The diplomatic issue was also echoed in the Indian Parliament, where opposition leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Modi. In 2020, Modi had held a rally in Houston in support of Trump, but Joe Biden won that election. And now the embarrassment of not being invited to Trump’s side has also been added to the list.
The Indian foreign minister attended Trump’s swearing-in ceremony and got a front-row seat. He rejected Rahul Gandhi’s criticism, saying that India has never sent a head of state to attend a presidential swearing-in.
The foreign minister may have overlooked the fact that Donald Trump had broken tradition by inviting many world leaders for the first time. For example, the Italian Prime Minister, with whom Modi often takes selfies, received an invitation from the US President, but the British Prime Minister and many other European heads of state were deliberately ignored.
Netanyahu, returning from his meeting with the US President, took with him many empty promises. Trump delighted his guest by saying that the US would take over Gaza and send the Palestinians to neighboring countries.
The meeting put aside the legal aspect that awaited the Israeli Prime Minister and his wife at home, as well as the fear that their extremist alliance would inevitably break up if the bombing of the destroyed buildings in Gaza did not resume, especially since Trump’s dream of heights already seems to have failed.
The Gaza offer (which seems more of a threat) did not receive any support at the international level. However, this could change if Modi, considered a close ally of Netanyahu, supports Trump’s plan, despite the long-standing international outcry for Palestinian land.
While the Palestinian plan is morally wrong, Trump has also set his sights on lands like Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. This has damaged his reputation, even in the real estate sector, while he sees Gaza as a real estate property. His dream of turning Gaza into an attractive tourist city on the coast will further destabilize the already unstable region.
The question is, while the Twin Towers in the safest country can be destroyed, no building built on stolen Palestinian land (except for Hamas’ underground bunkers) is safe until the Palestinians are given their land and justice.
Modi faces a major challenge before he visits Washington. He is known as a pawn that builds relationships between India and the West, especially against China. In fact, during his last visit to India in February 2019, Trump had persuaded India to buy a number of military weapons, including submarine-tracking weapons, which China saw as a provocative move.
The border dispute with China was already ongoing, which intensified after the Indian Parliament passed a resolution on August 5, 2019, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of Jammu and Kashmir, the map of Ladakh was also changed without consulting China, which worried China. There is also a possibility that Trump might strike a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is obviously difficult but will be crucial for behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Raising this possibility, President Trump stressed in a video conference with the World Economic Forum in Davis that he has “always had a great relationship” with Xi Jinping and that he is willing to “walk with China.” According to a White House statement, Donald Trump said that the US and China “will have a good relationship.”
He added that “we just want transparency. We want a level playing field, but I like President Xi Jinping very much. I always have.” Although Modi’s name was not on the guest list for January 20, Trump has also praised Modi on several occasions.
On the other hand, when the US sent 104 illegal Indian immigrants in chains to Amritsar, it humiliated India, which is considered a close ally of the US. Despite being rejected by Indian authorities, women who came to India were also handcuffed. This humiliation
Modi, for his part, may be hoping to drop criminal charges against intelligence officials in the plot to assassinate an American-born Sikh leader. He may also want Indian tycoon Gautam Adani cleared of corruption charges.
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As a precautionary measure, the chief minister of Manipur, who has been accused of killing Christian tribesmen for the past two years, has resigned ahead of Modi’s visit. The resignation may be aimed at appeasing Trump supporters in America’s Bible Belt who hold strong religious views.
Trump has taken a more direct approach to Modi. In his first telephone call with Narendra Modi after his second term as president, he urged India to buy more American-made weapons. “The President stressed the importance of India increasing its purchases of American security products and moving towards a better trade relationship between the two countries,” the White House said in a statement.
Finally, a major issue for the US is India’s role as the leader of the BRICS, which Trump will try to influence. Panama recently withdrew from China’s Belt and Road Initiative due to Trump’s continued pressure.
What is India’s position in this, especially in the context of Russian President Vladimir Putin accepting Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India earlier this year? The Chinese must be wondering how complicated and tense the current situation has become.
