“Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” PM Modi wrote on microblogging platform X.

Earlier, Modi spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 10 October, days after militant group Hamas launched a series of attacks across Israel that killed around 1,300 people. Modi also condoled the deaths of Palestinians after an explosion at a Gaza hospital.

While India has expressed support for Israel, it has also called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state under a two-state solution. It has also called for the strict observance of international humanitarian law.

On the same day, India also slammed the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for violating India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This came just a day after Beijing hosted the third edition of the Belt and Road Forum, which India was not invited for, according to Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

India’s principal opposition stems from the fact that one of the flagship projects of the BRI, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, passes through territories in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), that India considers part of its territory.

“Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the MEA had said in reply to a query in May 2017 regarding India’s possible participation in the first edition of the Belt and Road Forum.

“No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it went on to say.

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Updated: 20 Oct 2023, 12:51 AM IST