New Delhi: Issuing an elaborate statement on Gaza, India has voiced concern over the persisting humanitarian crisis in the beleaguered strip and asserted that a ceasefire must be put in place, while emphasising that “intermittent pauses in hostilities” are “not enough” to address the scale of challenges facing the region’s people.
India also reiterated that the pathway to enduring peace is rooted in a two-State solution – one that establishes a sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace.
Addressing an open debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education,” Harish said at the open debate on the ‘Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question’.
He said the ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue. “Humanitarian assistance needs to be facilitated in a safe, sustained and timely manner. There is no substitute to peace. A ceasefire must be put in place. All hostages must be released. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to achieving these objectives. There are no other fixes or solutions,” he said.
The Ambassador also expressed hope that an upcoming UN conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict would pave the way for “concrete steps” towards achieving a two-state solution.
Harish told the Council debate, held under Pakistan’s presidency of the Security Council for July, that India shares historic and strong ties with its Palestinian brothers and sisters.
“We have always stood by them and our commitment towards the Palestinian cause is unwavering,” he said, noting that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the State of Palestine. Describing the health and education situation in Gaza as “particularly troubling”, Harish said the World Health Organisation estimates that around 95 per cent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that more than 650,000 children have had no schooling for over 20 months, he said. Harish said that India takes note of the High-Level International Conference on the implementation of a two-State solution scheduled for July 28-30.
“While engaging in a forward-leaning and constructive manner, it is our hope that this conference would pave the way for concrete steps towards achieving a two-State solution,” Harish said.
India’s endeavour is to make a “tangible impact” on the daily lives of the Palestinians by implementing projects in diverse sectors, and the country is currently implementing projects valued at more than USD 40 million, Harish said.
He said India underscores its readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at shaping a political horizon that restores hope for the Palestinians and achieving sustained peace in the Middle East. The high-level conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, was scheduled to take place from June 17-20 but was postponed due to escalating tensions in the region.
