NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India supports a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, emphasising the idea of a “sovereign, independent and sustainable” Palestinian State coexisting peacefully alongside Israel. “We have been public and unambiguous about that. There should be no cause for confusion regarding a two-State solution,” Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha.Answering questions on India’s stance on the conflict, he said, “We condemn terrorism and hostage-taking. We do believe countries have the right to respond to the situation, but countries should be mindful of civilian casualties. They must observe humanitarian law, and we would like a ceasefire and an early end to violence.”Asked about the reason for India’s abstention from a resolution in the UN General Assembly on October 27, 2023 regarding the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations, Jaishankar said India abstains when resolutions are unbalanced, divisive, or carry broader implications for the country. “In this particular case, there was no reference to terrorism or hostage-taking. If a resolution doesn’t reflect the entirety of a situation, it is not a balanced resolution. If a country like India, which is itself a victim of terrorism, countenance the fact that terrorism is underplayed and ignored, it is not in our interest that we do so (support),” he said.To a question from TMC MP Saket Gokhale about Israel’s ban on the UN aid agency UNRWA and how India is providing aid to Palestine, Jaishankar clarified that India continues to send humanitarian aid and has recently released another tranche of support to UNRWA. He underscored the government’s decision to increase its annual contribution to UNRWA from $1 million to $5 million. “We have given 65 metric tonnes of medicines to the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA in 2024. We have provided 33 metric tons of medicine to Lebanon,” he said.
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