General Assembly Security Council

UNSC meeting on the Question of Palestine 

(28 November 2022; 1000 hrs) 

 

Statement by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj

Permanent Representative of India to the UN

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Thank you, Mr. President. I thank UN Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland for his briefing. 

 

2.    We condemn the twin terror attacks that took place in Jerusalem on November 23. Our condolences to the victim's family and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. Terrorism is a global threat and only a unified and zero-tolerance approach to terrorism can eventually defeat it.

 

3.    India has emphasized that only a negotiated two-State solution leading to establishing a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine, taking into consideration Israel’s legitimate security concerns, can deliver lasting peace. In this regard, India continues to reiterate the need for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations between the parties on all final status issues.

 

3.    The absence of such negotiations and the lack of a clear political horizon for the peaceful resolution of the conflict has consequences for both Israel and Palestine.  It risks the recurrence of the cycle of violence, which will only increase the number of civilian casualties on both sides. All parties must protect civilians, especially women and children. 

 

4.     We urge the parties to cease violence and avoid unilateral actions on the ground, which undercut the viability of the two-State solution. This will help in bridging the trust deficit between the parties.

 

5.    On our part, India remains committed to supporting all efforts to resume direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to achieve a two-State solution. On the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to the people of Palestine in their endeavour for statehood, peace and prosperity. In his message, he reaffirmed our long-standing relationship with the Palestinian people, based on deep-rooted historical and people-to-people ties. 

 

Thank you!

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