On 16th October (Monday), a group of opposition leaders, including BSP MP Danish Ali and senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar visited the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi to express their solidarity with Palestinians.
VIDEO | "We went there to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine," says BSP MP @KDanishAli on opposition leaders visiting the Palestine Embassy in Delhi.#IsraelGazaWar pic.twitter.com/zI5M48dZmt
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2023
The opposition leaders also submitted a joint resolution to Palestinian Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija stating that they believe violence is never a solution as it leads to a cycle of destruction and suffering. They also emphasised that the international community should increase its efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
As per media reports, the joint resolution presented to the Palestinian Ambassador was signed by 16 opposition leaders. The signatories of the joint resolution included Congress’ Mani Shankar Aiyar, RJD’s Manoj K Jha, CPI’s D Raja, CPI(ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI(M)’s Subhashini Ali and Nilotpal Basu, Samajwadi Party’s Javed Ali Khan, JD(U)’s KC Tyagi and BSP’s Danish Ali among others.
Opposition leaders, including Mani Shankar Aiyar, Manoj Jha, KC Tyagi and others, issue a joint statement after several opposition leaders met the Palestinian envoy in Delhi earlier today. pic.twitter.com/k2aI9MHIky
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2023
The joint resolution said, “Recognising that the Palestinian people have endured immeasurable suffering for over 75 years, we firmly assert that now is the time to end their plight. We urge the international community to recognise the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders in accordance with the UN resolutions. Such recognition is a crucial step towards ensuring a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, providing the Palestinian people with the opportunity to determine their own destiny and live in peace and security.”
The opposition leaders also demanded, “The international community must exert pressure on the state of Israel to abide by international laws and respect the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people. We call for intensified diplomatic efforts and multilateral initiatives to ensure a lasting peace in the region.”
VIDEO | "We met the Ambassador and expressed our solidarity (with Palestine)," says JD(U) leader KC Tyagi on opposition leaders visiting the Palestine Embassy in Delhi.#IsraelGazaWar pic.twitter.com/KIuLqULDh4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2023
VIDEO | "We are here to express our solidarity (with Palestine)," says CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on his visit to the Palestine Embassy in Delhi.#IsraelGazaWar pic.twitter.com/Uvc26fvmRh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2023
Speaking about their visit to the Palestinian Embassy, the CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said, “In India, everywhere, we are raising our voice with the people of the world. The voice for peace must ring louder now because what is happening in Gaza right now is not just killing of the people there indiscriminately but pushing the world to the brink of the third world war.”
They also expressed ‘deep concern’ over the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinian people. Subsequently, the opposition leaders, through the joint resolution urged an immediate cessation of all hostilities to prevent further loss of innocent lives and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.
They recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s remarks that “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French”. They added that it reflected his belief in the importance of recognising the sovereignty and territorial rights of the Palestinian people, just as any other nation’s right to their homeland.
Earlier, on 9th October, the Congress Party expressed its sympathy for Palestinians and extended its support by passing a resolution in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) voicing concerns over the situation and urging for a ceasefire. The resolution however backed the Palestinian people’s rights.
Israel Hamas war
On the 9th day (15th October) of the Israel Hamas war, the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, revealed that the Hamas terrorists were given a booklet called “The Warrior’s Guide: Jihadi Version”. The booklet described the inhumane methods the Islamist terrorists should adopt to torture the hostages. This included terrifying hostages, giving them electric shocks, and even executing ISIS-style live-streamed executions. The manual was found on the body of a Hamas terrorist killed in Gaza during counterattacks by Israel.
מכות חשמל והוצאה להורג בשידור חי הם רק חלק מתכנית חטיפת השבויים האכזרית של ארגון הטרור חמאס.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 15, 2023
צפו בראיון שקיימתי הערב ברשת CNN >> pic.twitter.com/xYQHhPqlT1
On 7th October, Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organisation, killed over 1,300 Israelis, including 150+ soldiers, women, elderly, and babies on a Jewish holiday. Several foreign nationals were also killed or abducted by Hamas terrorists. Israeli forces are still discovering bodies, some of them were charred to death. Burnt houses, dead families, and ruined villages show how horrendous the attack was.
