EAM Jaishankar supports Palestinian demand for homeland, urges restraint by Israel

Whatever the merits and wrongs in the entire Israel-Palestine dispute, the fundamental fact remains that the Palestinian people have been denied their rights and their homeland, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated in a forceful declaration on the matter.

Jaishankar described what happened on October 7 a “terrorist attack,” but he also admitted that any response to the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza had to take international humanitarian law into consideration.

While attending a function, Jaishankar—who is now visiting Malaysia—interacted with the Indian community.

“How different pulls and pressures can be. On one hand, what happened on October 7 was terrorism. On the other hand, nobody would countenance the death of innocent civilians. Countries may be justified in their own minds in responding, but you cannot have a response that…every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law,” Jaishankar said.

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“The fact is whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, there is underlying issue of the rights of the Palestinians and the fact that they have been denied their homeland,” he added.

On October 7, Hamas carried out a horrifying terror strike in Israel that left over 1200 people dead and over 250 hostages—more than 100 of whom are still being held captive.

Israel responded by launching a fierce counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip that was aimed at the Hamas divisions. But there have also been civilian casualties as a result of the operation. The Gaza Ministry reports that over 32,000 people, including women and children, have died in Gaza.

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Notably, PM Modi was among the first world leaders to denounce the horrifying terror strike that Hamas carried out on Israel on October 7.

But India has also persisted in supporting the so-called “two-state solution” to the protracted Israel-Palestine issue.

Jaishankar is currently in Malaysia on an official visit; he will later travel to Singapore and the Philippines.

He paid Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, a visit earlier in the day and conveyed his enthusiasm for his goal for deepening the relationship between India and Malaysia. Furthermore, he emphasized that this vision will act as a spark for developing a more ambitious agenda to improve relations between the two countries.

Additionally, he hosted a roundtable discussion with Malaysian CEOs, noting their increasing interest in collaborating with Indian sectors.

“A productive round-table meeting with CEOs in Malaysia. Glad to hear about growing interest in partnering with Indian industries. Encouraged them to join in India’s growth story. Discussed geopolitical developments that can provide more opportunities in business interactions,” the EAM posted on X.