Priya Aditi
Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel is a terrorist act, but there is also a problem in Palestine that must be resolved, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Joint Secretary Session of the External Affairs and Defence Commission of the Senate in Rome. “What transpired on October 7 constitutes a significant act of terrorism, and the events that followed have significantly redirected the entire region.” However, it is undoubtedly the aspiration of all that the conflict does not become the norm in the region and that stability and cooperation return at some point. “In the midst of this, we must strike a balance between various concerns; we must all condemn terrorism and take a stand against it,” Jaishankar stated.
Notwithstanding this, the matter of Palestine also arises. It is imperative that the challenges encountered by the Palestinian people be resolved. Furthermore, we believe that a two-state solution is necessary. Dialogue and negotiation are required in order to arrive at a resolution. A resolution cannot be achieved via conflict and terrorism. Consequently, we will also support that. Given the current state of affairs, we do believe that all individuals must abide by international humanitarian law. It would be imprudent to fail to achieve equilibrium in any intricate circumstance. “This is an essential component in tackling a highly challenging and intricate circumstance,” Jaishankar asserted.
India expressed its impartial position on the Israel-Hamas conflict by reiterating its support for the “establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine” while condemning terrorism. Prime Minister Modi was among the initial world leaders to denounce the terrorist assault orchestrated by Hamas and vow unequivocal support for Israel. India refrained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly that advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza due to its omission of any reference to Hamas and lack of condemnation of the attack.
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Very challenging and turbulent times lie ahead: The Jaishankar
“…In all candor, we foresee extremely challenging and turbulent times in the future, and there are numerous reasons for this.” Concerning the last five years in particular, Covid’s effects on the global economy and society have been extremely traumatic. There remain numerous nations and societies that have yet to fully recuperate from it. Jaishankar stated, “We have seen that progress toward sustainable development goals has been halted in a number of countries, and that many more nations are currently confronted with a financial and economic crisis, with debt being a significant issue. Furthermore, the Ukraine conflict has affected every region of the globe.”
