India Backs UN Statement on West Bank As PM Visits Israel Next Week
Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit Israel next week, though official dates have not been announced.
New Delhi: India on Friday said it had “associated” itself with a United Nations statement on the Palestine issue, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Israel.
According to media reports, the UN statement criticised Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank and condemned unilateral measures altering the status of Palestinian territories. Reports said India had initially skipped a joint appearance with several countries at the UN but later associated itself with the statement issued in New York. It is also reported that over 100 UN member states condemned expansion in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit Israel next week, though official dates have not been announced.
New Delhi also confirmed that it attended the US-led Board of Peace meeting in Washington DC as an observer. India had earlier been invited by US President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace as a full member but has not done so.
The UN statement, as cited in media reports, said, “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank. Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
At his weekly briefing, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “You may be aware that this was not a negotiated document as is usually the case in the UN. Our position on this issue was most recently expressed in the India-Arab League Ministerial Joint statement, which is as follows: ‘Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East, according to international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. They called for a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine based on 1967 borders, living side by side in peace with Israel. Both parties supported the practice of inalienable rights of the Palestinian people’.”
He added, “In consonance with it, we have associated ourselves with the initiative keeping in mind the concerns addressed by the statement. Let me point out, a number of countries have similarly associated themselves with it after the statement was issued.”
On the Washington meeting, he said, “India attended the Board of Peace meeting held in Washington DC as an observer. India has supported the Gaza Peace Plan initiative of President Trump and the efforts underway due to UNSC resolution 2803.”