India Backs Palestine's UN Membership Bid, Two-State Solution, Demands Israeli Hostages Be Freed

India backed the Palestinian bid for United Nations (UN) membership at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday (local time) while calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

India’s permanent representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said the current phase of the longstanding conflict has gone on for seven months and triggered a humanitarian crisis which has potential for more instability in the region.

India said the large number of deaths due to the conflict is ‘simply unacceptable’.

Kamboj, however, maintained that India has an uncompromising stance on terrorism and demanded that hostages held be released.

“The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children. The resulting humanitarian crisis is simply unacceptable,” Kamboj said.

“We have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. International law and international humanitarian law must be respected by everyone under all circumstances,” she further added.

Kamboj then reiterated India’s longstanding position which calls for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and membership of Palestine at the UN.

“In keeping with our longstanding position, we support the membership of Palestine at the UN and therefore, we have voted in favour of this Resolution,” she said.

“We hope that Palestine’s application would be reconsidered by the Security Council in due course, and that Palestine’s endeavour to become a member of the UN will get endorsed. India is committed to supporting a Two-State solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel,” Kamboj said, reiterating India’s stance on the conflict that has been going on for more than half a century.

“In this context, we view the UNSC’s adoption of resolution 2728 as a positive step. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. It is imperative that humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza be scaled up immediately in order to avert a further deterioration in the situation,” she said.

“There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage taking. India has a longstanding and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” she pointed out.

Kamboj outlined that India provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so and said that India has noted that Israeli officials have facilitated greater flow of humanitarian aid into the blockaded, war-ravaged coastal enclave.