India to Join UN Conference on Finding Two-State Solution to Israel-Palestine Conflict
New Delhi: India will participate in next week’s two-day United Nations conference aimed at charting a roadmap for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The ministerial-level meeting, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, will begin on Monday (July 28) and has so far drawn the participation of around 115 countries.
The conference, originally scheduled for June, was postponed after Israel carried out military strikes on Iran.
India’s attendance had been expected, as it had voted in favour of a December 2024 UN General Assembly resolution that laid the groundwork for the high-level international conference on the peaceful resolution of the Palestine question and the implementation of the two-state solution.
However, New Delhi’s position on Gaza has appeared inconsistent in recent months. After initially supporting UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, India abstained in June on a resolution that urged an “urgent, permanent and sustainable” ceasefire.
Then, at a UN Security Council meeting on July 24, India once again called for an immediate ceasefire, while drawing attention to the severe shortages of food, healthcare, and education faced by civilians in Gaza.
India is among the countries listed to participate in the upcoming conference, though there is no official confirmation yet about the level of representation.
The meeting will open with remarks by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and France.
According to sources, India has already contributed inputs to the eight working groups established as part of the preparatory process.
The United States had reportedly issued demarches to various capitals in the lead-up to the earlier June date, urging them not to participate, according to Reuters. Both the US and Israel are not attending the upcoming conference.
It remains unclear whether India received such a demarche. India, however, maintains close relations with both co-hosts France and Saudi Arabia.
The conference takes place as Gaza faces a worsening starvation crisis, with the UN warning that only a fraction of the needed food and fuel is entering the territory due to Israeli restrictions.
Amid mounting pressure over the situation in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France would become the first G7 and Western UN Security Council member to recognise the state of Palestine, triggering furious response from Israel and US. According to reports, Macron will formally announce the recognition at a separate event with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
This article went live on July twenty-seventh, two thousand twenty five, at twenty-four minutes past nine in the morning.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
