New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor Wednesday October 11, 2023 while commenting on the latest escalation in the Middle East said, “Palestinians have as much right to live in peace as the Israelis”.
Talking in the context of Prime Minister Modi’s support for Israel, Tharoor highlighted India’s decades-old Middle East policy and said, “India must stand with the Palestinians” and “must not forget the cause of Palestine”.
"India has so far -- judging by the Prime Minister's Tweets -- has taken a stand unambiguously on the side of Israelis who have been subjected to this unjust and inhumane attack by the Hamas. That's fine as far as it goes. But it doesn't go far enough because there is a broader picture that seems to be missing from the traditional Indian position," Tharoor said. "There is a broader policy which should have been affirmed which is that of equal rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security and dignity behind safe borders," Shashi Tharoo told NDTV.
"India has so far -- judging by the Prime Minister's Tweets -- has taken a stand unambiguously on the side of Israelis who have been subjected to this unjust and inhumane attack by the Hamas. That's fine as far as it goes. But it doesn't go far enough because there is a broader picture that seems to be missing from the traditional Indian position," Tharoor said.
"There is a broader policy which should have been affirmed which is that of equal rights of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security and dignity behind safe borders," Shashi Tharoo told NDTV.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) a day before had also passed a resolution reiterating the party’s “long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people”.
“The CWC expresses its dismay and anguish on the war that has broken out in the Middle East where over a thousand people have been killed in the last two days,” the resolution said.
“The CWC reiterates its long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people to land, self-government and to live with dignity and respect. The CWC calls for an immediate cease-fire and for negotiations to begin on all outstanding issues including the imperative issues that have given rise to the present conflict”, the Congress party resolution said.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza rose to 1,100 whereas 5,339 others have been wounded in the Israeli bombing that started Saturday after Hamas launched Operation Al Aqsa Storm.
As many as 27 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank and 150 others have been injured, the Ministry of Health said.
Eleven workers with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and five members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have been killed in the Israeli air strikes, the aid groups say.
“We are very saddened to confirm that 11 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since October 07, 2023 in the Gaza Strip,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Israel has jumped to 1,200 and the number of injured to 2,900.
“At least 1,200 people have died as a result of the Hamas attacks on Israel”, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said.
The Middle East is once again on fire after Palestinian Resistance group Hamas launched, what it called, Operation al Aqsa Storm, firing more than 5000 homemade rockets onto the occupied territories simultaneously storming into the areas under Israeli control via sea, land and air.
The Palestinians say the October 7, 2023 surprise attack by Hamas was the response of continuous provocation, intimidation and targeting of the Palestinian people by Israeli troops and illegal settlers led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Responding to Hamas attack, the far-right Zionist government in Israel started round the clock bombardment of Gaza Strip and later announced the complete siege of the region already under blockade since 2007.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres meanwhile said, he is ‘deeply distressed’ by Israel’s complete siege of the Gaza Strip which will worsen an already dire situation.
"While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law", he said. "I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in – no electricity, food, or fuel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially", he added.
"While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law", he said.
"I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in – no electricity, food, or fuel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially", he added.
He also said the latest fighting did not arise from a vacuum, but from a decades-long occupation with no end in sight.
"This most recent violence does not come in a vacuum. The reality is that it grows out of a long-standing conflict, with a 56-year long occupation and no political end in sight", the UN Chief said.
"It’s time to end this vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization", he added.
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