India Exports Rockets and Explosives to Israel Amid Gaza War

Files used in the preparation of the program that Al Jazeera aired showed that the ship was loaded with explosives in India, meant for Ashdod in Israel, close to the Gaza Strip. The tracking system information revealed that the Borkum left Chennai, India, on April 2, traveling around the African coast to avoid the Red Sea as the Houthis in Yemen attacked vessels. 

The cargo vessel Borkum was sighted on May 15 in the early morning, drifting near the coast of Spain, particularly the city of Cartagena. People demonstrated on the coast equipped with Palestinian emblems and called to search the given ship, and demanded to check it as they claimed that it supplied weapons to Israel. 

This attracted the attention of far-left members of the European Parliament, who called on Spanish president Pedro Sanchez not to allow the vessel to be arrested as they deemed that would progress. Tools arms to a country that was underway for genocide against the Palestinian people. 

 Details of the Cargo 

 Among the cargo were 20 tonnes of rocket engines, 12.5 tonnes of rockets with explosive charges, 1500 kg of explosive substance, 740 kilograms of charges, and fuels for cannons. The shipping documents did not mention IMI Systems or Israel. IMI Systems is a defense firm that was sold to Elbit Systems, an arms manufacturer from Israel, in 2018. 

 Nevertheless, the commercial manager for the ship’s operating German company, MLB Manfred Lauterjung Befrachtung company, dismissed the allegations that any weapons for Israel were ever loaded. On the same month, but from the 21st day, another Indian carrier, Marianne Danica, refused entry to Cartagena. It was packed with 27 tonnes of explosives destined for the Israeli city of Haifa. 

 Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares was the one who confirmed the denial, arguing that the consignment in question was military. 

 Out of these, the desire to continue exporting weapon parts from India to Israel has been seen during the extended hostilities in Gaza. Experts have said that India has yet to reveal where it sends its arms deliveries; therefore, it becomes quite challenging to gauge these shipments. Another participant, Zain Hussain from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), stressed that it is necessary to focus on reliable information but, at the same time, underlined the existing cooperation between India and Israel. 

 In June, an Israeli airstrike targeted a United Nations shelter in Gaza; after that, a video produced by the Quds News Network showed a missile fragment that had the inscription “Made in India,” which had previously not been seen and highlighted India’s involvement. An Indian firm, Premier Explosives Limited, stated that they had exported rocket motors to Israel, thus enabling the Barak missile systems. 

 India flexes more muscles as it joins Israel to manufacture rockets, fuels, and drones. Hyderabad’s Adani Elbit Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Complex is an essential supplier of Hermes brand drones used in surveillance and combat. Further, India signed a strategic partnership with Israel in 2017, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was relatively inactive in accepting Palestine as a country. 

 India is eager to continue relations with both the Arabs and Israelis in the same way as it attempts to court Iran and the United States simultaneously. This approach needs to be revised due to its arms exports to Israel, in particular in times of conflict. Therefore, India tries to balance these relations through voting and abstention in the United Nations. 

 In conclusion, the case of Borkum and other shipments provides an outlook on the complex and very frequently concealed character of international arms trade and the relations involved. Amidst managing its diplomacy, the consequences of India’s arms exports on regional conflicts present a key question mark for many. The critical conflicts that surround its arms exports include;