
India'sExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (Dec 5) reaffirmed New Delhi'ssupport for a two-state solution and reiterated that Israel stood by India during security threats.
During the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament), EAM Jaishankar addressed the Israel-Hamas war and said that India and Israel have a strong record of cooperation in the area of national security.
Jaishankar said that India's decision to continue defence cooperation with Israel relies on national security interests.
"As far as Israel is concerned, it is a country with which we have a strong record of cooperation in national security. It is also a country that has stood by us at different moments when our national security was under threat. When we take any decision, we will bear in mind the larger circumstances but we will be guided by our national security interests," he said.
"We condemn terrorism, we condemn hostage-taking. We do believe countries have the right to respond to the situation but countries should be mindful of civilian casualties. They must observe humanitarian law and we would like a ceasefire and an early end of violence," Jaishankar said while responding to a supplementary regarding India's position on the ongoing Israel-Hamaswar.
Further while reiterating India's support for a two-state solution, he said that issues of terrorism and hostage-taking cannot be underplayed or ignored.
“India’s policy towards Palestine has been long-standing and we have always supported a negotiated two-State solution, towards the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel," the Indian foreign ministersaid.
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Responding to a question about India's abstention from some resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)in October last year, Jaishankar said there were many resolutions in the assembly, adding that in some, India abstained and in some, it voted in favour.
"Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, 13 resolutions concerning Palestine were brought in UNGA out of which India voted in favour of 10 resolutions and abstained from three resolutions," Jaishankar said.
"In this particular case, we felt that the resolution was not well-drafted and not well-considered. We had reservations about the language. Our concern was not accommodated. That is why we abstained," he said.
“A country like India, which is itself a victim of terrorism, if we countenance the fact that terrorism is underplayed and ignored, it is not in our interests that we do so. We look at any resolution, we look at the wording and take a mature view," the EAMadded.
(With inputs from agencies)