New Delhi:India remains committed to supporting all efforts to resume direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine to achieve a two-State solution, said Sanjay Verma Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs. In his address at the Ministerial Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement on Palestine on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the NAM, Secretary (West) Verma said,
"India remains committed to supporting all efforts to resume direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine to achieve a two-State solution. Lasting peace in the region can be achieved only when there is a peaceful settlement to the question of Palestine". He noted that India, over the years, has continued to remain a committed development partner of Palestine, supporting its nation-building efforts. "We are actively engaged in extending technical and developmental assistance to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. Our support to the people of Palestine will continue", said Verma at the meeting.
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Palestinians continue to face severe economic and humanitarian hardships. Unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population must be prioritised. Towards this end, India supports the work of the UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees). "We appreciate the steps taken by the Agency in enhancing transparency in its operations and adherence to the UN standards in humanitarian services and urge utmost diligence on the part of UNRWA to ensure that aid is only used for the purposes intended", said Secretary West Sanjay Verma.
India enhanced its annual contribution to the agency to US$ 5 million in 2018 and has thus far contributed about US$ 30 million over the years. It is worth mentioning that India has had a long-standing relationship with Palestine based on deep-rooted historical and people-to-people ties. Furthermore, Verma reiterated India'a stand that only a negotiated two-State solution leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine, taking into consideration Israel’s legitimate security concerns, can deliver lasting peace.
In this regard, New Delhi reiterates the need for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations between the parties on all final status issues. The absence of such negotiations and the lack of a clear political horizon for the peaceful resolution of the conflict has consequences for both Israel and Palestine, he pointed out. India urged the parties to cease violence and avoid unilateral actions on the ground, which undercut the viability of the two-State solution and furthers the trust deficit between the parties.
