Opposition MPs back Palestine, invoke Mahatma Gandhi to seek creation of new State

Opposition leaders in India met with the Palestinian Ambassador to condemn Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. They call for international efforts to resolve the conflict and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Team Newsable

Published: Oct 16, 2023, 5:54 PM IST

Opposition leaders on Monday met the Palestine Ambassador and condemned Israel's indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip. Expressing concern over the situation in Gaza, several opposition leaders, including Mani Shankar Aiyar, Manoj Jha, KC Tyagi and others, issued a joint statement after meeting the Palestinian envoy in Delhi today. The statement emphasized their strong belief in Mahatma Gandhi's words, "Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French," underlining the importance of recognizing the sovereignty and territorial rights of the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, they condemned violence as a solution, stating that it only leads to a destructive and cyclical pattern of suffering. The opposition leaders urged the international community to redouble efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Acknowledging the protracted suffering endured by the Palestinian people for over 75 years, the group firmly asserted that it was high time to end their plight. They called upon the international community to acknowledge the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, in line with UN resolutions.

The statement comes at a time when the Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in more than 4,000 lives lost since Hamas initiated an incursion on October 7. Despite reports of a ceasefire to allow foreign nationals to leave the besieged Gaza Strip through Rafah, both Israel and Hamas have rejected the proposal.

Gaza authorities have reported that over 1,000 individuals are missing under the rubble of buildings demolished by Israeli airstrikes. Israel is preparing to evacuate residents from 28 villages near its border with Lebanon amid an escalating cross-border exchange of fire.

Israel's Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, has declared that Israel aims to eliminate Hamas from Gaza, stating, "Hamas won't exist in the Gaza Strip. Israel cannot tolerate a terrorist organization within its borders."

Hamas has historically endorsed violence as a means to liberate occupied Palestinian territories and has called for the annihilation of Israel. In recent years, Israel has forged peace agreements with Arab nations without having to make significant concessions in the Palestinian conflict. The U.S. has also attempted to mediate a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a staunch adversary of Hamas' Iranian supporters.

Meanwhile, Israel's new far-right government is actively working to solidify Israeli settlements in the West Bank, despite Palestinian objections. Hamas leaders attribute their attacks to an Israeli crackdown on militants in the West Bank, the ongoing construction of settlements, and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.

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