India hopes for early resumption of dialogue between Palestine, Israel

Expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India hopes for an early resumption of dialogue between Palestine and Israel for moving towards a comprehensive and negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Modi said, "I wish to convey India's strong support for the Palestinian cause and to express our solidarity with the Palestinian people in their efforts to establish a sovereign, independent and united State of Palestine co-existing peaceful with the State of Israel.

He said as the Day is marked, we hope for an early resumption of dialogue between Palestine and Israel for moving towards a comprehensive and negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Modi underscored that historical ties between India and Palestine have further strengthened in recent years, adding that his visit to Ramallah in February this year was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine.

"The visit was an assertion of India's strong commitment for the development of Palestine."
In his message Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a two-State solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side as sovereign nations is still "the only option" for lasting peace, and containing the situation is not sufficient."
Guterres said more than 40 years ago, the General Assembly established an International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people to remind "us of our collective, unfinished task of resolving the question of Palestine. Over the decades, this has become one of the most intractable challenges for the international community, and we know only too well the tragic results."
This, he said, was "the only way to achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people."