India seeks early Israel-Palestine talks, exerts efforts to revive the peace process

India called for early talks between Israel and Palestine to “resolve all final status issues and achieve a two-state solution,” saying the world community and the Middle East Quartet can support.

As part of India’s presidency of the UN Security Council in August, a meeting on the Middle East peace process and the Palestinian question was held. This was one of India’s final major meetings before the conclusion of its presidency.

India, according to Shringla, will support any attempts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

“High-level cooperation between Israel and Palestine helps to create a more conducive environment for direct peace talks to resume. We hope to see these talks between the two sides begin soon, as they offer the best chance of resolving the final status concerns and achieving a two-state solution,” he said.

He believes that the international community, particularly the Middle East Quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia, has a critical role to play in resuming negotiations.

“Given our long-standing and firm commitment to the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine within safe, recognised, and mutually agreed boundaries, living side by side with Israel in peace and security,” he continued.

Shringla expressed India’s concerns about the recent escalation in the Gaza Strip, which underscored the region’s fragile ceasefire and the need to address the root causes of the escalation. He stated, “We appeal on all sides to the dispute to follow the ceasefire and desist from measures that could aggravate tensions and exacerbate the security situation.”

He underlined that violence and conflicts between Palestinians and Israeli security forces continued in the West Bank, and that all parties must refrain from provocative behaviour. “We are encouraged by the progress made in the legal challenge to the eviction of Palestinian residents in Sheikh Jarrah, and we emphasise the importance of maintaining the historic status quo in East Jerusalem and its surroundings. We also urge parties to desist from unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution’s viability,” he said.

While calling for a “regular and predictable” supply of aid and critical items to Gaza to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis, Shringla also urged the international donor community to support the Palestinian Authority’s reconstruction efforts.

The validation of Covid-19 vaccination certificates provided by the Palestinian Authority and simplifying the transfer of patients from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank are positive indications, as is Israel’s determination to increase the number of work permits issued to Palestinians.

India’s development assistance has supported the Palestinians in the construction of schools, the establishment of ICT and vocational training centres, the establishment of a technology park, and the establishment of a national printing press.

Several peace and security concerns were debated during India’s leadership of the UN Security Council, including the situation in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, and Yemen, as well as the Middle East peace process.

On Monday, Shringla presided over four Security Council meetings in which the Mali sanctions resolution, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) resolution, and the UNSOM resolution were all passed.

The UNIFIL resolution extended the peacekeeping mission’s mandate for another year. India is one of UNIFIL’s greatest troop donors, having provided forces to the mission for the past 21 years. UNIFIL now has 862 Indian peacekeepers, and India has shown its willingness to enhance the UNIFIL maritime task force by deploying a maritime contingent.

The Mali sanctions resolution denounced the Islamic State’s and al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organisations’ activities in Mali and the Sahel area, including IS in West Africa Province, IS in the Greater Sahara, and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. India has donated $353.6 million in soft loans to Mali for development projects.

From Some News Agency