New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York early on September 23 (IST).
The Ministry of External Affairs noted that Modi “expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and reaffirmed India’s continued support to the people of Palestine.”
Modi himself also posted about the meeting on social media site X, saying:
“Reiterated India’s support for early restoration of peace and stability in the region. Exchanged views of further strengthening long standing friendship with the people of Palestine.”
Modi is in the US for three days. On Sunday, September 22, he was in New York for the UNGA and met Abbas.
Modi’s meeting comes within a week of India abstaining from a widely supported UNGA resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank within a year. As many as 124 nations out of the 193 members voted for it. India was among 43 that abstained.
India refers to the Hamas attack on Israel last year and the protracted military action on Palestine by Israel, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths, as the “Israel-Hamas conflict.”
