Palestinian envoy: Must contest Israel’s violations

Tribune news Service

New Delhi, November 29

On International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Palestine’s envoy to India sought for his country a “deserved place as a sovereign and equal member among the international community.”

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija said, “We seek the resolution of the Palestinian issue in accordance with the vision of peace with two states existing side by side in peace and security within recognised and secure borders, on the basis of relevant UN resolutions.”

Accusing Israel of international violations not as an exception but as a rule, he asked the international community to challenge these violations. “Faced with Israel’s blatant contempt of the law, UN resolutions and the long-standing global consensus on the parameters of a just solution based on two-States on the 1967 lines, decisive action is urgently needed,” the Ambassador said, thanking India for its support to the Palestinian cause.

In his message last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hoped for early resumption of dialogue between Palestine and Israel. “We hope for early realisation of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel,” the PM had said.

An official source suggested that Modi, who visited Israel on a stand alone basis, would visit Palestine when he visited Jordan or Egypt in months to come. “By doing so, India seeks to de-hyphenate Palestine from Israel and treat it as an independent Arab nation,” he added.

Saudi envoy to India Saud Al-Sati called the recent reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas a “significant breakthrough” and advocated the right to self-determination.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated the need for a two-state solution to one of the longest unresolved conflicts.”