Gaza crisis: Envoy alleges 'genocide', says Palestinian question quest for new global order

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Underlining the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Palestinian envoy to India Abdullah M Abu Shawesh alleged on Friday that the killing of the people of Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is a "genocide", even as he asserted that the Palestinian question is a quest for a new global order.

During an interactive session here, Abu Shawesh also said India is "still supporting the Palestinians", referring to New Delhi's stand on the issue in global forums, such as the United Nations General Assembly.

The envoy said everyone talks about the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, but wondered how many were aware of what the people of Palestine had "suffered" before that.

He alleged that several Palestinian civilians were killed and videos of their suffering were made as they bled to death.

Abu Shawesh began his address by citing the existence of Palestine as a region for thousands of years that lends Palestinians the legitimacy to live on the land in peace.

The envoy also referred to the more-than-a-century-old Balfour Declaration and the subsequent chain of events that led to the creation of Israel in 1948.

The 1917 declaration was a statement of British support for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people".

The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict go back more than a century.

The October 7, 2023 attack exacerbated the conflict and Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza as part of its retaliation to the unprecedented attack on Israeli cities by Hamas.

Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 220, some of whom were released during a brief ceasefire.

Several thousands of people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive, according to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.

Referring to the deaths and killings in Gaza, Abu Shawesh alleged that it is a "genocide".

He also said, "The Palestinian question is a quest for a global order, it is a litmus test." After the Second World War, there was a change in the world order. The call of "Never Again" was not just for the Jewish people, the envoy said.

India's policy towards Palestine has been longstanding. It supports a negotiated two-state solution towards the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel.

India had also strongly condemned the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the loss of civilian lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

New Delhi has consistently called for the release of all hostages, a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and has welcomed the January 2025 agreement for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

India has also emphasised the need for safe, timely and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, and has been calling for a de-escalation of the situation and creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution to the Palestine issue.

During the session, the Palestinian envoy was also asked about India's stand on the issue, in the light of the fact that it has bilateral ties with both Israel and Palestine.

"I can talk about it at the macro level.... We valued India's position (on it) through the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council and other places. India is still supporting the Palestinians," he said.

India's position has been reiterated in various bilateral and multilateral forums, such as the UN, BRICS, NAM, Voice of Global South etc. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Palestinian president on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future in New York in September 2024 and called for a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy, the Indian government has said. PTI KND RC