New Delhi (India): The Palestinian cause has always been, and indeed remains, a central issue in the Arab public’s imagination and a symbol of the exercise of free expression.
Not only are calls for democratic change stymied in Arab countries, but expressions of solidarity with Palestinians are also being met with vicious repression, as regimes seek to control the narrative of the Palestinian cause.
Remembering and marking it’s 75th years of ethnic cleansing in Palestine, ambassador of Palestine in India Adnan Mohammad Jaber Abualhayjaa said, “the suffering experienced by the Palestinian people is one of the greatest injustices in modern times”.
“There is no doubt that the suffering experienced by the Palestinian people is one of the greatest injustices in modern times. This started with the … of people’s existence in their homeland, designing unjust colonial policies to control their land and resources and then practising a documented ethnic cleansing against them,” Abualhayjaa said in the India-Palestine Friendship Forum. He thanked the Indian government and people for their support to the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution.
“Today, we are celebrating the commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba or catastrophe which happened 75 years ago. This is the 75th commemoration of the Nakba of the Palestinian people where we have lost our homeland,” he further stated on Monday.
The Palestinian Ambassador said: “We have very good relations with India. India supports the infrastructure in Palestine. They are helping in this country and they are supporting the two-state solution.”
Abualhayjaa said he hopes India could play a role in mediation between Israel and Palestine.
“I hope India could play that role especially since it has good relations with both sides. It’s not easy to find a solution with this government. We need real pressure from the international community to implement the two-state solution,” he said.
Palestine’s Ambassador to India Adnan Mohammed Jaber Abualhayjaa, speaking on the occasion of 75th anniversary “Nakba”, hailed India’s ‘historic’ bond with Palestine. The envoy also hinted External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar’s visit to Palestine this year.
On this occasion, ambassadors of various Arab countries along with Indian policy makers also participated to show their solidarity.
Member of Parliament Manoj Jha said in his address, “Dear Palestinians you will never loose #India as your friend. We are sorry for our current position for #Palestine. ”
“Dear Palestinians you will never loose #India as your friend. We are sorry for our current position for #Palestine ,” said @manojkjhadu Manoj Jha, MP at a program at #constitutionalclub . @palestine @PalStudies pic.twitter.com/49GtrzFOlJ
— Dr. Shahid Siddiqui (@shahidsiddiqui) May 15, 2023
However, former MP K C Tyagi and Prof. Apoorva Anand also highlighted the historical bonding during Yasser Arafat times.
Meanwhile, Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad recently agreed to a ceasefire that was slated to go into effect at 10 pm on Saturday after nearly five days of fighting.
Earlier, Egypt, which brokered the ceasefire, called on all sides to adhere to the agreement.
-Dr. M Shahid Siddiqui (PhD), Follow via Twitter @shahidsiddiqui
