Geneva – Reiterating its support for a two-state solution in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, India maintained its “uncompromising" position against terrorism. While addressing the United Nations General Assembly briefing on the Gaza crisis, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said that New Delhi is “deeply concerned” by the humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the region. Kamboj highlighted four key points that determine India's stance on the matter. In the first two points, Kamboj focused on condemning the devastating October 7 massacre, maintaining that India has an uncompromising position against terrorism. In the next two points, the Indian official reiterated the need to scale up humanitarian aid and the country's support for a two-state solution. 

“As far as India is concerned, we have been deeply troubled by the conflict in Gaza that has been raging for nearly five months now. The humanitarian crisis has deepened and the region and beyond have witnessed rising instability,” Kamoj said in the briefing which was held on Monday. “India’s position in the conflict has been clear and has been stated on several occasions by our leadership,” she added, highlighting four “key points” in the subject matter. Firstly, Kamboj insisted that both parties should respect international law and international humanitarian law.  “The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children. As I have mentioned before, this has also resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis,” she said. “This is simply unacceptable. We have strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. it is extremely critical to prevent a further escalation of violence and hostilities. It is also imperative to avoid the loss of civilian lives. In any conflict situation, international law and international humanitarian law must be respected under all circumstances,” she added. 

Secondly, Kamboj maintained that India strongly stands against terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations”. “We are cognizant of the fact that the immediate trigger of the conflict was the terror attacks in Israel on the 7th of October which was shocking and deserved unequivocal condemnation,” the Indian diplomat averred. “India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking. As such, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” she added. It is pertinent to note that when the October 7 massacre broke out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first world leaders who maintained that Israel has the “right to defend itself”. 

India calls for a two-state solution

During the UNGA session, Kamboj reiterated that India believes that a “two-state solution” is the need of the hour. She also maintained that humanitarian aid in Gaza should be scaled up to avoid further escalation of the conflict. “It is imperative that humanitarian aid to Gaza is scaled up immediately in order to avert further deterioration of the situation,” the Indian diplomat explained. “We urge all parties to come together in this endeavour. We welcome the efforts of the UN and international community in this regard. India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so,” she furthered. 

While giving her take on the two-state solution, Kamboj insisted that it should be established in such a way so that Palestinians would be able to live freely in an “independent nation” and Israel's security need also be acknowledged. “As my leadership has repeatedly emphasised, only a two-state solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiation between both sides on the final status issues would deliver an enduring peace,” Kamboj emphasised. “India is committed to supporting a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely within an independent country with secure borders with due regard to the security needs of Israel. In order to arrive at a lasting solution we urge for an immediate de-escalation of violence, release of all hostages, and avoid provocative and escalation actions and to work towards creating conditions for the early assumption of direct peace negotiations,” she concluded. Apart from India, countries like Russia and China have echoed the similar sentiments.