Amid festering turmoil in the region, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian has advocated a mediating role for India in Israel-Palestine conflict and lauded New Delhi for its unflinching support for the Palestinian people.
“Palestine looks up to India. India, a great nation, has stood with us in our struggle against occupation,” Ms Aghabekian said as foreign ministers of the Arab nations focused on ending the Gaza conflict at their ministerial meeting in New Delhi. India can play a major role as a mediator between Israel and Palestine, the minister said at the Palestinian embassy in Delhi on January 29.
“And over the last few years, India has stood firmly with the Palestinian people on the two-state solution, the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and our resolutions in the Human Rights Council at the UN,” she said.
The minister lauded India’s developmental assistance in education, healthcare and social infrastructure. She was all praise for Indian-backed schools across the West Bank, support for hospitals and specialised medical centres, and assistance for multipurpose facilities such as sports and recreation centres for Palestinian children. She also expressed her appreciation for India’s support for building the Palestinian Diplomatic Institute, which would strengthen training and exchanges for Palestinian diplomats.
The minister’s laudatory account of India’s support for Palestinian people rebuts the contention of some critics that India has diluted its support for Palestine in its zeal to build stronger ties with Israel.
Providing a vivid account of carnage and violence in Gaza, the minister said that 82 per cent of Gaza’s infrastructure had been destroyed and that over 72,000 people had been killed. “What we witnessed in Gaza was witnessed live on TV. This situation is not acceptable,” she said.
Shahin participated in the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Delhi. The meeting, co-chaired by India and the UAE, will see the participation of foreign ministers of other Arab League member states and Arab League Secretary-General.
In a note, India’s Ministry of External Affairs highlighted that the ministerial meeting would focus on the five priority verticals of cooperation, including economy, energy, education, media and culture which were identified a decade ago. “The 2nd India-Arab FMM is expected to build on our existing cooperation, expanding and deepening this partnership,” said the ministry.
Author Profile
- Manish Chand is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO, Centre for Global India Insights, an India-based think tank focused on global affairs.
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