India should urge both Palestine and Israel to shun violence and hold peace talks: Swaraj
Refusing to take sides in the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel in the Gaza strip, the Government on Monday resisted pressure from the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to adopt a resolution against Israel. Instead, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India should urge both Palestine and Israel to shun violence and hold peace talks.
“India should send a joint message that wherever there is violence, it should be condemned. We should tell both, Israel and Palestine, to accept Egypt’s offer of talks. The same message should go from this House, the Government and the entire nation,” the Minister said.
Replying to a discussion on the unprecedented spurt in violence in Gaza and West Bank area of Palestine causing death of scores of civilians, Swaraj struck with precision, replying point-by-point, to silence critics. She made it clear that there was no change in the NDA Government’s policy compared to the previous Governments. “The NDA Government’s policy on the Palestine issue remains unchanged and is consistent with the Indian foreign policy — to support Palestine’s case while maintaining relations with Israel,” Swaraj said.
However, the Congress-led Opposition walked out of the Rajya Sabha after Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien rejected its demand for a Resolution. Kurien pointed out that since the discussion was under Rule 176, there was no provision for a resolution or motion of any kind.
Rejecting leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad’s argument that India had been late in reacting to the Gaza violence Swaraj argued that India made its stand clear on the issue when Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the declaration during the BRICS Summit. She added that the issue was discussed threadbare at the multilateral forum and it also figured during bilateral talks between the PM and the other heads of States.
Swaraj also took on the Opposition for casting aspersions on the Modi Government on this issue. “Foreign policies do not change with the Government. We do not see religion while deciding our foreign policy,” she said. India gives $1 million to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for providing food and medicines to Palestine refugees while a separate $20 million are given as budgetary support to Palestine.
Earlier, initiating the debate Azad questioned whether the delay in taking up the debate was due to any change in the country’s foreign policy towards Palestine. Azad accused the Government of acting as a “spectator” to the on-going “massacre” in Palestine.
“I request the Indian Government, the Opposition, the House and 124 crore people of the country to rise to the occasion on humanitarian grounds... The Government must realise India’s stature and walk the talk…India is sitting as a mere spectator and it took us seven days to think whether we should even discuss it or not,” said Azad. He added that India also has economic interests in West Asia.
Arguing that Israel is the biggest supplier of weapons to India, Sitaram Yechury said the profit earned from it is being spent by Israel in carrying out such genocides. While D Raja (CPI) questioned: “Why should India keep equidistance with both Israel and PalestineIJ
BJP’s Chandan Mitra argued that India has itself been a victim of human rights violations; hence, it cannot support such violations in any part of the world and in any form. “No one can support loss of human life,” he said while adding both countries on either side of the Gaza are friendly to India and taking a stand against either of them can impact India’s interests. He added that the Indians trapped in Iraq could come out of that country only because India has friends all over the world. He added that while the Palestine issue is close to India’s heart, but it has to do a balancing act. “We have had good relations with Palestine. Whatever we can do should be done to stop the bloodshed,” Mitra said.
BJP member Anil Madhav Dave (BJP) said there is a need to go to the root of the problem and a solution will come only when the problem is diagnosed properly. He said similar situations prevail in other parts of the world, adding India should not tilt itself to any one side and play a “neutral” role.
Sushma Swaraj ended her argument by quoting with lines from Sahir ludhianvi’s Tasavurat Ki Parchaiyan. “Chalo ke chal key siyasi maqaamron sey kahein key humko jang-o jadal ki chalan se nafrat hai, jisey lahoo ke siwa koi rang raas naa aaye, humein hayat ki us pairahan se nafrat hai.”