New Delhi: Ministry of External on Thursday said that India is closely following developments pertaining to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has claimed thousands of lives far.
Addressing a weekly press briefing here on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We are closely following development on the Israel-Palestine issue. We also expect to make a statement in UNGA (United Nation General Assembly) when the issue comes up again”.
Earlier on May 16, addressing an open debate at the United Nation Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, ambassador TS Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the UN said, “The ongoing violence has caused immense suffering and resulted in deaths, including of women and children”, adding that India strongly condemns all acts of violence, including indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza and the retaliatory strikes.
“We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions, and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood,” Tirumurti added.
The ambassador also reiterated that India supports the just cause of Palestinians and a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, international pressure mounts over the Israel-Palestine conflict, as a diplomatic move towards a ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict gathers pace with major powers like the United States ramping up efforts to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
US President Joe Biden during his telephonic conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed that he expects a significant de-escalation on the path to a ceasefire. The two leaders had a detailed discussion on the state of events in Gaza, Israel’s progress in degrading the capabilities of Hamas and other terrorist elements, and ongoing diplomatic efforts by regional governments and the United States.
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Also on Thursday (May 20), Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lijian Zhao said that China is actively engaged in mediation towards de-escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Zhao told media that Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy for Middle East affairs, spoke on phone with officials of Palestinian and Egyptian foreign ministries.
Later today, the UN General Assembly is holding an emergency meeting to discuss ongoing violence and deterioration of the situation in the Middle East. The meeting is in response to a request made by the chairmen of OIC and Arab group in the UN to the Assembly Prez, Volkan Bozkir.
At least 95 countries including Global powers like Pakistan, China, the United States, Turkey and of course India to name a few are participating in the meeting to represent their stance over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Now it remains to be seen whether diplomatic efforts will be successful in bringing an end to the conflict or it will fail to make headway.
At least 230 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 11 days of fighting, including 65 children, and another 1,710 people have been injured
