India has said that it advocates resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine in a reiteration of its long standing support for the Two State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. “Our policy in this regard has been long-standing and consistent. India has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, MEA, at a press briefing on Thursday.

This is the MEA’s first official statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict after Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on October 7. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticised the terror attack and expressed solidarity with Israel twice since then. Through its statement the MEA has made it clear that while India was against terrorist strikes, its stand on Israel-Palestine remained unchanged.

Bagchi said there was also the responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations while there was a universal obligation to observe humanitarian law. This was in response to questions on the humanitarian situation in Israel and Gaza.

Operation Ajay

The first flight from Israel bringing back Indian citizens, under Operation Ajay announced by Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on Wednesday night, landed in the country on Thursday, Bagchi said. Indian nationals in Israel have been asked to get listed with the Indian embassy for the chartered flights being arranged. “Right now, our main focus is to get Indians from Israel back safely,” Bagchi said.

There were about 18,000 Indians in Israel and India received information about one of its citizens being injured there, the spokesperson said. They are in the hospital, getting better, Bagchi said. There were four Indians in Gaza and 12 in the West Bank, he added.

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