New Delhi: India has said that it hopes for the early realization of a sovereign independent and united Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a message on the occasion of Palestinian Solidarity Day.
In a letter to the United Nations (UN), Modi reiterated India’s “steadfast support” to the Palestinian cause while recalling India’s development assistance to Palestine.
The missive is dated 25 November but was made public on Tuesday.
The letter comes as New Delhi is getting ready to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January. In July, Modi visited Israel on a three-day trip, the first ever by an Indian PM to the Jewish state—a move seen as bringing India’s relations with Israel out of the closet. The exchange of visits comes as India and Israel mark 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.
India established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992. It has since balanced ties with Arab countries where it has a sizeable diaspora presence and deep energy ties on the one hand and Israel on the other.
In his letter to the UN, Modi said India hoped for the “early realisation of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine coexisting peacefully with Israel”. India, he said, was “an active development partner of Palestine, engaged in extending technical and financial assistance to improve the lives of the Palestinian people”.