Indian firms complicit in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, claims report

Indian corporations are complicit, directly or indirectly, in Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza by enabling Israel’s genocidal acts, a new report released by the Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has claimed.

The report argued that trade, investment, and defence ties between India and Israel are not just political, but also raise questions of “corporate complicity in human rights violations”.

‘India no more pro-Palestine’

According to the findings in the report titled ‘Profit and Genocide: India’s Investments in Israel’, India’s official stance has shifted significantly from its historic pro-Palestinian position. While India had traditionally supported Palestinian self-determination, over the years and specifically under the Narendra Modi government, the report says, India has tilted towards a closer alignment with Israel.

At the centre of the report, which has been authored by Hajira Puthige, are the corporate linkages between Indian companies and Israel’s defence and surveillance sectors.

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It highlighted joint ventures such as Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India Ltd, which manufactures drones that are widely used by Israel in surveillance and targeting operations in Gaza.

Corporate linkages

“In 2018, Adani Defence and Aerospace Ltd acquired stakes in two major Israeli weapon manufacturing companies, Elbit Systems Ltd. and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), through its joint venture PLR Systems. The Adani group entered a joint venture with Elbit Systems Ltd., with an initial investment of $15 million. Elbit Systems provides 80 per cent of the weapons and equipment for Israel’s land forces and 85 per cent of the combat drones used by the air force,” the report stated.

The May 2024 blockade of a ship docking at Cartagena on its way to Israel was reported to have been carrying 27 tons of munitions destined for the IDF from Chennai,” it added.

‘Indian firms indirectly aid conflict’

The report argued that these ties go beyond weapons as “any investment that goes to Israel has the potential to fund its military campaign and promote its settler-colonial ideology.”

“For instance, while agricultural investments seem harmless, these innovations often originate and are implemented in Palestinian territories believed to be illegally occupied. Similarly, investment into cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Israel has the potential to be used for biometric surveillance and cyber intelligence monitoring, as reported by Al Jazeera. This means that while the Indian corporations benefit in terms of technology transfer and market strength, their Israeli counterparts get to strengthen industries whose very growth and profitability are tied to conditions of conflict, raising questions of indirect complicity,” the report stated.

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“The analysis of financial flows reveals a dual outcome: India consolidates its strategic and economic objectives, while Israel consolidates the very industries that are interwoven with the dynamics of occupation. Indian corporations may not invest directly in settlement-based projects, but the absence of transparent demarcation in financial and corporate arrangements makes it difficult to establish whether capital flows are confined to internationally recognised Israeli territory,” it further stated.

‘Amazon, Microsoft complicit’

Drawing on a UN Special Rapporteur’s recent work, the report also listed firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet Inc., etc., as being “complicit in war crimes against humanity” through their investments in Israel.

In this context, the report concluded: “The argument that investments are neutral or purely commercial no longer holds in a global context where corporate complicity in human rights violations is under intense international scrutiny. For India, the costs of these investments go beyond reputational damage, undermining the very constitutional principles of justice, equality, fraternity, and peace, upon which it was built. It is about time Indian corporates adopt due diligence of human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights."

Further, it said, "Meanwhile, government policies must establish enforceable regulatory frameworks ensuring ethical investments, not complicit in the economy of genocide.”