At the virtual G20 Summit in New Delhi, a seven-point consensus was reached among G20 leaders on "Israel's" barbaric invasion of Gaza. The consensus stressed the need to resolve the decades-old struggle based on the principle of a "two-state solution", which the international community has consistently vowed to uphold but has been wantonly resisted by the United States and "Israel". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the urgency of resolving the war as both Hamas and "Israel" agreed to a four-day truce based on releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for releasing captives. While India’s stance at the G20 summit can be considered commendable, it is imperative for Modi to address the deluge of disinformation and social media campaigns that are helping inflame this war. 

This disconnect has to be addressed. Think Hindutva in India, then think of the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution by the Modi government in 2019, which granted special status to the disputed territory of Kashmir. Think also of the genocide of the besieged Kashmiri Muslim population, state-sponsored clampdowns, blackouts, and Hindu settlers moving into occupied territory and committing war crimes. Now think of Gaza 2023 as a grand example of terrorist forces unleashing mayhem against a besieged population and stripping the Palestinians of their identity.

Now, India’s stance at the G20 must be completed with practical steps domestically. This should be reflected more apparently on social media where platforms are being used by supporters of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party to inflame tensions, demonize the Palestinians, and support "Israel’s" war crimes in Gaza. According to disinformation expert, Marc Owen Jones, a lot of fake news and widely shared tweets being disseminated about the crisis come from Indian journalists. This is echoed by Indian journalist and fact-checker, Bharat Nayak, who stated that the Indian right wing is capitalizing on the Gaza crisis to promote fear of India’s Muslim population among the Hindu majority. Jones goes on to suggest that synergies exist on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

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Such synergies are apparent if one takes a look at the tweets, posts, and comments made by saffron demagogues in India. Messages indicate, for example, how India was supported by "Israel" during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan and hence, it is the duty of Indian Hindus to return the favor in "Israel’s" genocidal war in Gaza. Such irresponsible posting comes despite the fact that the Kargil war shook the foundations of the regional order in South Asia with a conventional conflict taking place between two nuclear-armed nations. Bizarre references were also made to how the main opposition to the BJP, which is the Indian National Congress and the thirteen percent Muslim minority in the country, will never condemn Hamas and are enemies of humanity in India and beyond. 

These posts indicate an undeniable reality. The fact that both Palestinians who are being massacred by the occupation forces in 2023 and minority groups who were killed in the Gujarat pogrom of 2002 in India were both Muslims has allowed the far-right Hindutva brigade to characterize the global Muslim population as an "existential threat" to human civilization. These criminal generalizations remain unchecked despite being reported by data fact-checkers and social media monitoring agencies. They are also being promoted en masse with the objective of polarizing societies on religious lines. 

Equally important to note is that such toxic social media campaigns come at a time when India-"Israel" ties have become highly sophisticated, stronger, and amicable under the Narendra Modi administration in New Delhi. The BJP believes in aligning itself with the Likud party through unwavering political, economic, and military support. According to South African journalist and author Asad Essa, India has emerged as the largest purchaser of Israeli weapons and accounts for nearly fifty percent of all Israeli exports in recent years. In fact, India co-produces weapons with "Israel" and both sides have cooperated in tech, startups, agriculture, and cultural exchanges. 

This clearly entails that the BJP’s well-wishers through disinformation, dissemination of fake news, and vile propaganda will continue to disrupt narratives. One should not overlook the fact that Modi was and will always be complicit in the Gujarat pogrom of 2002, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 2,000 Muslims across the state. His electoral strategies since have been about employing polarizing and divisive rhetoric to target minorities. Under his reign, India has also witnessed democratic backsliding where press freedom indicators remain abysmal and pale in comparison to other regional countries, such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Similarly, Netanyahu is an unequivocal and unabashed fascist in "Israel" with his decision to clip the powers of the Supreme Court and muzzle out the opposition. 

As a result, for Modi to truly live up to the spirit expressed at the G20 virtual summit, it is important to clamp down on social media narratives that are promoting "Israel's" fudging facts, denying dissenting voices, and using the war on Gaza to support the cause of exterminating Muslims. India’s domestic profile leaves much to be desired as far as minority groups are concerned. Otherwise, the seven-point consensus reached in New Delhi would be harmed, which also harms the Palestinian cause.